A Feudel Dream
by KingBowser444
Summary: A crossover story between Inuyasha and my original characters. When an emotionally wounded hero tries to find solace, he winds up finding even more trouble than before! Can he help Inuyasha and the others put an end to the dangers of the Feudel Era?
1. A New Beginning

*Authors Notes*

I tried to be reasonably close to the original characters as I could while allowing the story to progress the way that I wanted; although the Inuyasha characters are very important to the plot, the main characters are the original "combo-platter" characters that my friends and I are able to transform into. I only watched the original Anime, never read the manga or saw the second Anime, so if some facts aren't as "straight" as some die hards would like, I apologize in advance. :)

Another note to make is that this upload is actually the most recent story that I wrote in this series (I foolishly copied over the previous stories to write my new ones to save space). :( I may upload the others later on, so if you get confused about some of the plot line, I apologize in advance, again. :)

I tend to write my stories more like a "script" than a story, so my formatting may seem wierd to some people.

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><p>Dream Quest:A Feudal Dream<p>

After completing his journey in the Shadowlands, the young man called Matt gained the ability to transform into a creature of unspeakable power. As this creature, Brawn the Eternal Guardian, Matt continued to fight for justice on Earth. Brawn possessed the almost godly strength of 1.2 million men, extremely thick skin, and an all but indestructible adamantium skeleton. However, perhaps his greatest power of all, was the power to heal at speeds so fast, it seemed as if Matt wasn't injured at all! In addition, Matt was able to regenerate lost limbs with this ability. These were just the start of Brawn's power, however, as some of the powers could be used by Matt in his human state; some were in weaker states, but others, like the healing, were at full strength. Despite all of this power, it turned out that it was still possible for Matt to "mess with the wrong guy"...

Several years ago, while Matt was still **Bowser McCloud**, he'd managed to arrest a serial killer, Sampson Frost, who had been sentenced to 15 years in prison, after parole. This man held a serious grudge against Matt for his imprisonment. But, Matt had nothing to fear, since Frost didn't know how to find him; unfortunately, this wasn't the case. During their confrontation, Frost had shot Matt with a trackable bug, meant to kill its victim with a dose of cyanide. Unfortunately for Frost, the cyanide was neutralized by Matt's healing power. The bug itself, however, survived inside Matt's left arm for all of these years...

Upon his release, Frost used a tracking device on the bug in Matt's left arm, and traced him to his family's home. Frost waited patiently until no one was in the house, and planted several bombs within the house; each bomb was powerful enough to decimate the entire house by itself! After this was done, Frost waited patiently until Christmas Day, when everyone in Matt's family, who was able, convened at Matt's childhood home. After waiting for several minutes, Frost became sure that everyone who was coming was inside, then detonated the bombs!

The house exploded in a gigantic fireball; everything was completely annihilated. All the cars in the driveway, the trees in front yard, and all the people were vaporized in a flash! Everything, that is, except for Matt. From underneath the rubble, Matt emerged missing his left arm, and thus, missing the bug; this meant, that Frost could no longer track him. About the moment Matt's arm regenerated, he sighted Frost across the road, laughing manically. Frost:"You think that you're so high and mighty, stealing my freedom and joy. Well, 'hero', now the shoe is on the other foot! You stole my life, now _I've_ stolen _your's_!" Unknown to Frost, the police were already on the way; a neighbor reported the disturbance.

With a single leap, Matt was across the street, pummeling Frost. Frost began to bleed profusely, as Matt had broken his nose. Just as Matt was about to deliver the death blow, something in his conscious stopped him. True, that most of his family and even a couple of friends had been killed, but Matt realized that they wouldn't approve of the murder. His code of ethics only served to strengthen this resolve. Frost:"Come on, big guy! Send me to Hell and I'll be seeing you!" Matt:"...No, Frost. I'm not like you. I'll let God be the one to send you to Hell. But, I do want to know one thing-why drag my family into this! They did nothing! It was _me_ you wanted to kill, you soulless psychopath!" Frost just began to laugh evilly. Frost:"I'd say that it was _you_ who brought them into this when you had me incarcerated!" Those words hit Matt like a kick to the nuts; he could endure his own pain with grace, but couldn't stand to see the sufferings of others, especially those he loved. He'd never expected to be found out, nor did he want to drag his family into harm's way; unfortunately, all of that changed in only a few seconds thanks to one disillusioned psycho!

A couple of minutes later, the police arrived to take Frost away for life. Cop:"Do you have any last things to say to this scum before we take him away, sir?" Matt:"You know, Frost, someday I might be able to forgive you. In the meantime, may God have mercy on that non-existent soul of your's. Get 'em outta here." After that, Matt went to the rubble that was once his childhood home. He dug his way to the garage and found a drainage pipe. He leaped down the tunnel to find that his "Super Truck" had escaped the blast completely unscathed. It was at that moment, that Matt developed a "Batman-Complex"-he swore to do all he could to prevent such tragedies as his own from happening to others across different worlds. Out of grief, Matt decided to travel from dimension to dimension, accomplishing this goal one dimension at a time.

Using the Super Truck's Dimensional Warp Capacity, Matt traveled to dimension 5, as he'd already saved Dimensions 2-4 from tyrants. After he'd programmed the Truck, he appeared in the 5th dimension about a minute later. He emerged from the Dimensional Warp in a huge, dense forest. With a push of a button on his key chain, the Truck went back to the underground bunker on Earth. With no other option, Matt began to wander through the forest. Matt began to use his sixth Soul Sense to track a near by soul, hoping it would lead him out of the forest and into civilization.

Matt wandered until he come upon the soul that he'd been tracking. He could see a village at the bottom of the hill he'd come to. As for the soul he'd been tracking, Matt got quite a surprise when he tried to talk to it... Suddenly, what Matt thought was a person, turned on him and took on an inhuman appearance! "Foolish mortal! I was going to devour that village below, but I'll start with you as an appetizer!" The demon that suddenly attacked had no idea what he was getting into. Matt quickly ducked and sent an iron uppercut back. The demon shrieked loudly with pain, attracting the attention of all the villagers below. After a few jabs, the demon was about to give up, but decided to make one last attack; a fatal mistake. Matt dodged the demon's strike and got it in a headlock. Then, with minimal effort, he snapped the demon's neck.

After he'd killed his assailant, Matt made is way down the mountain. At the same time, two people from the village came to investigate the demon's shrieks. The two people who went to investigate were a young couple of about twenty years old. This was no ordinary couple, though. The man was a legendary half-demon, named Inuyasha. The girl was his _extreme_ love interest, called Kagome. Matt unknowingly warped into Inuyasha's dimension, except 5 years ahead of what he knew it to be. Unfortunately, Matt didn't know this, due to a mild amnesia brought on from the explosion. He'd retained knowledge of the other 4 dimensions because they were either his home or from the video games he'd played in his world. The rest were from Animes he watched in the past.

About an hour after they left, Inuyasha and Kagome found the demon that Matt killed. Inuyasha:"Well, this is the demon that got everybody's attention, but it's dead." Kagome:"Well, it doesn't look injured at all. What do you suppose killed it?" Inuyasha:"Well, it looks like someone or something broke its neck!" Kagome:"What? Are you sure?" Inuyasha:"Positive. But, most demons are pretty hard to kill. Anything that can break a demon's neck while it's in perfect condition _has_ to be strong." Overhead, a full moon started to form. Kagome:"Hey, Inuyasha. It getting dark, so let's camp here for the night." Inuyasha was about to make a comment about how weak humans were compared to demons, but his heart melted as soon as he looked at her to speak. So, he agreed.

Meanwhile, Matt was able to get down the mountain after only half an hour. In another 15 minutes, he was in the village. He was getting a lot of stares, because he was dressed in only half a pair of jeans, while the villagers were all dressed in old fashioned, Japanese kimonos. The villagers didn't treat him harshly, but rather with bewilderment. So, Matt was directed to the village priestess. When he entered the cabin, she introduced herself as Lady Kaede. Upon hearing the name, Matt's memories of one of his favorite animes came back to him in a flood, returning all of his knowledge!

Matt did, however, play it off as if he _didn't_ have an in depth knowledge of the world. Matt:"Wait! I've heard of you! While I was traveling towards this area I'd heard about one Lady Kaede and the legendary company she kept!" Kaede:"It seems that word has traveled rather quickly. This 'company' has only been around for but a few years!" From there, Matt stayed with Kaede, listening to her tales of Inuyasha's past exploits. He stayed and listened for about three hours. When Matt finally left Kaede's home, the full moon was out and the village was starting to shut down for the night.

After he left Kaede's place, Matt heard the distant cry of a wolf. At first, he thought nothing of it, until he heard two, three, then fifty wolves. Matt figured that forests were common places for wolves, but Kaede threw that theory right out the window; Kaede:"That's odd. Wolves haven't been seen around these parts for more than forty years." That's when Matt's Soul Sense kicked in. Matt:"Those aren't ordinary wolves!" With this statement, Matt started to run towards the forest at top speed. Kaede shouted after him, "What are you talking about!" Matt's distant reply was, "No time to explain, but anybody that's still in those woods is going to be in really deep trouble in only a matter of moments!" As soon as Matt was out of eye sight of the village, he transformed into Brawn and flew towards the forest.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha and Kagome had heard the wolf calls, but didn't think anything of them. After all, Inuyasha was more than powerful enough to handle an ordinary wolf. Unfortunately, these wolves weren't all that ordinary...the wolves that were currently on the prowl were werewolves, a previously unheard of creature in Inuyasha's world. The wolves had been following the scent of the demon that Matt had killed; Inuyasha and Kagome were cooking the dead demon, as its meat was considered a delicacy. Doing this, however, turned out to be a horrendous mistake!

Suddenly, a werewolf came into the clearing where Inuyasha and Kagome were camped up at. Inuyasha:"What the...?" Werewolf:"Mmmmm...fresh meat! We were going to eat that demon that you're cooking, but we prefer live prey above all and women taste the best! You're first, young lady!" Inuyasha:"_**Over my dead body**_!" Werewolf Army:"Excellent suggestion!" Inuyasha growled with immense irritation as he saw the remaining 49 wolves of the army come closer!

Inuyasha was powerful enough to take out three werewolves in a single stroke, but the wolves were much faster than even he was! Inuyasha unsheathed Tetsusaiga and attacked the werewolves. He slashed a bunch with a single swipe, killing them. However, as soon as he did, the others jumped him, slashing and crunching down repeatedly. Inuyasha was eventually thrown backwards with a multitude of wounds, easily enough to kill a human, but nothing for a half-demon like him.

Kagome shouted with worry. This only strengthened the wolves's hunger, and they dove right for her! Kagome tried to resist, firing Sacred Arrows at the wolves that attacked her. Unfortunately, even her spiritual arrows were useless against the werewolves! The only thing the arrows did was anger them, which resulted in them almost totally mutilating Kagome! Inuyasha:"KAGOME! Get offa her, you sons of bitches!" He slashed those four with fury, only to find that Kagome was bleeding all over and her clothes had been ripped to shreds!

Inuyasha was also bleeding at a fast rate, but his demonic powers enabled him to heal faster than normal humans. However, even this faster healing would eventually fail him in his fight with the 43 werewolves that remained! Inuyasha unleashed the **Windscar**, which was successful in killing 13 werewolves, but the other thirty were only mildly harmed. Inuyasha:"[Inner] Dammit! These are the toughest demons I've ever seen!" Inuyasha immediately took another terrible pummeling, so bad that even he could barely stand! He sheathed Tetsusaiga and started to shield Kagome's body with his own. Inuyasha:"[Coughs up blood] You want her...[cough] you'll have to get though _me_ first!" The first five that charged were each killed with an **Iron Reaver Soul Stealer**, but the other 25 soon overwhelmed the mighty half-demon! All Inuyasha could do was shield Kagome's body; he was receiving almost countless wounds and was almost about to faint! Suddenly, everyone heard a battle cry coming from above them, and the wolves saw the massive body of Brawn falling from the sky. Matt crashed into the battlefield just in time, and was even able to smash a few of the werewolves when he landed!

Matt swatted the wolves away with a single swing. Due to the dark, and blood flowing into his eyes, all that Inuyasha could see of Matt's massive black body were the 4 glowing, golden eyes. Matt:"Can you move!" Inuyasha struggled to his feet, pushing himself to his limits. Inuyasha:"Y...yes." Matt:"Then get to the village below as fast as you're able! You'll be safer there!" Inuyasha picked up Kagome and ran as fast as his maimed body would let him, his only fuel love and adrenaline. A werewolf took off in pursuit, but Matt caught him using his **Dragon Chains**. Matt:"NO YOU DON'T!" As soon as he'd yanked the wolf back into the clear, Matt snapped the creature's neck with his four mighty arms! Inuyasha:"Hang in there, Kagome! I'll get you some help!" Kagome was still barely conscious; Kagome:"In...u...ya...sha..." This feeble word was followed by a cough of blood and she fell unconscious. At this horrifying sight, Inuyasha pushed himself even harder, and gave a colossal leap with all the strength he had left. He landed in front of Kaede's home and barged in. Upon doing so, he fainted from exhaustion, weakness, and loss of blood. Kaede:"Good Heavens! Get some bandages and medicine, now!"

Throughout Inuyasha's desperate journey, Matt stayed behind to battle with the werewolves. Werewolf:"I don't think you realize who you're dealing with, muscle-head! Werewolves can breed extremely fast; we're the spawn of Nathaniel Arkady, the most powerful werewolf ever born, second only to our uncle, William Arkady. Combined, the 50 of us were as strong as our father! You don't stand a chance!" Matt:"Nathaniel? Hahahahahaha! And when did Nathaniel have time to breed between all the people he killed! Oh, by the way, did your uncle ever tell you the name of the 'Hunter' who was able to defeat your dad?"

The werewolf children were stunned to meet a monster who knew of their father; "'Hero'," they answered Matt. Matt:"Your's truly!" Army:"YOU'RE 'HERO'! KILL HIM!" Matt knew that he'd done part of his job; by infuriating the enemy, they get sloppy, and Matt struck a _big_ nerve in Nathaniel's cubs! With that, he extended his Adamantium Mace and prepared for battle! Just as when they'd bum-rushed Inuyasha, the first few werewolves were killed in a single slash, but the twenty that were left dog-piled on Matt's back. The wolves were slashing and biting the huge hero, shedding pints upon pints of Matt's black blood. Matt:"Urrgghhha!" With a titanic flex of his four arms, Matt sent the werewolves flying off of his body with bone-shattering force. The two wolves that remained attached were immediately stabbed and decapitated. As the other wolves were getting up, Matt fired a blast of **Blood Fortress Blades**, slicing through 15 werewolves. The remaining three started to run in the direction of the village while Matt paused to check if the rest were dead. After a short pause, Matt flew off at 300 mph in pursuit.

The wolves were following the scent of Inuyasha and Kagome's blood. Matt was easily able to catch up with the slowest of the wolves, and killed it before it knew what hit him. The last two were the alphas of the pack, and were capable of running at the speed of sound! Fortunately, they were taking the long winding mountain road; they couldn't pick up Inuyasha's scent after he made his desperate leap to the village, so the wolves had to use the scent trail left behind from when the twosome initially came up the mountain. Matt, on the other hand, was able to fly straight back to the village.

Despite the enormous speed disadvantage, Matt was able to reach the village at almost the same time as the werewolves! The villagers were stunned at the sight of the wolves. Werewolves:"Where is that mutt and the girl!" The villagers along with Kaede, grabbed bows and arrows and started to fire away. Unfortunately, the werewolves weren't harmed in the least, even from Kaede's Sacred Arrows. Werewolf:"You stupid mortals! Your old fashioned weapons can't hurt us!" One of the werewolves spotted Kaede, and shot over to her. He was so fast that he had her around the throat before she even knew it! Werewolf:"Mmm...even better tasting than a lady is a priest or priestess! Any last words?"

Before the werewolf could crunch down on Kaede's skull, a Dragon Chain crunched down on the wolf's wrist, forcing it to let go of Kaede. Then, with a heave, the Chain sent the werewolf stumbling backwards. Matt landed and put up his right arms in front of Kaede as a shield. Matt:"They might not be able to hurt you, but _**I can**_!" The werewolves growled with rage. The younger alpha charged at Matt, but he was ready. Matt gave a right and left hook with his upper arms, followed by a double-uppercut with his lower arms. Before Matt used his right arms to finish the wolf, he extended his Mace; he pierced the wolf's heart and head.

As a result, the werewolf went flying away several feet, dead. His brother charged at the speed of sound and slashed Matt several times. The final slash sent Matt sailing into the village quite a ways. With its enhanced senses, the werewolf was able to track the smell of blood emanating from Kaede's home. The wolf peeked his head into the house and smiled with sadistic glee. However, before he could enter, Matt flew back and tackled the werewolf, with his Mace extended; thus, Matt pierced the werewolf in four different places. After that, Matt flew the werewolf out of the village and crashed to the ground, pinning the werewolf. Matt:"For the record, it was the warden Degenhardt that killed your father. Your father repented and had his sins absolved when he tried to help us defeat the warden. I wouldn't be surprised if he's in Heaven. I don't know where you'll be going, but, if you happen to see him, give Nathaniel my best regards..." With that, Matt finished the werewolf off by stabbing it in the head, then twisting the Mace for good measure. The supernatural threat of the werewolves was now over.

Matt sheathed his Mace, then walked back into the village. The villagers still didn't know what Matt's motives were, but they were put at ease somewhat when he asked if they were all safe. Matt:"Lady Kaede, are the half-demon and his girlfriend in your home?" Kaede:"Yes. However, I fear the worst. Inuyasha is a half-demon, so he will recover from his wounds, given time. But, Kagome is wounded beyond help. I'm amazed she's lasted as long as she has. She has until morning at best, without a miracle...Inuyasha will be absolutely devastated with the news of Kagome's death. How sad..."

Matt:"Just call me a miracle worker..." So, Matt entered Kaede's home. Inside, he found the two lovebirds, wrapped up almost like mummies. They were unconscious, but Inuyasha was muttering in his sleep and clutching Kagome closely to him. Inuyasha:"Kagome, you were the best thing that ever happened to me! And now...now you're **gone**!" The mere sight of the twosome pulled at Matt's "heart-strings", but that took the cake! Lady Kaede wandered in. Matt:"Kaede, you might not want to see this. Their wounds are quite horrendous, and I can cure them, but you might not like the cure..." Kaede nodded and left. Matt used his lower arms to grab the opposite upper arm in a muscular part. Matt:"[Inner] Ok. 1...2... [Audible] Threeeee..aaaahhhhh!" Matt ripped off a portion of his arm, including an artery, causing blood to spurt all over the unconscious bodies. The clumps of flesh in Matt's hands turn to flames and his wounds healed in a couple of seconds.

Matt emerged from Kaede's home about a minute later. Kaede:"Well?" Matt:"Kagome is a strong girl; she would've held on to the bitter end as long as Inuyasha was with her. Nobody has to worry; they'll both be 100% when they wake up." Kaede:"Shall I tell them who saved them?" Matt:"I'm sure I'll see them again very soon. But, in the meantime, just tell them that Brawn the Eternal Guardian has removed the demonic wolves from the woods." With that, Matt flew off. Little did he know, though, this was just the beginning of his travels with Inuyasha and Kagome!

Very soon after Matt left the village, he used his key chain to summon the Super Truck, and returned to Dimension 1 for an extremely brief period of time. After Matt retrieved a complete set of clothing, his only objective, he returned to the Super Truck and warped back to Dimension 5.

The next morning, in Kaede's hut, Inuyasha woke with a start. Inuyasha:"KAGOME!" He looked around, sweating a cold sweat and breathing heavily. That's when he saw the virtual mummy lying next to him. With a loud gasp, he shook her unconscious body. After a little while, she opened her eyes with a slight moan. Kagome:"Hey...Inuyasha. Why am I all bandaged up?" It turned out that, despite the healing that Matt gave the two of them, Kagome still suffered from short term memory loss. Inuyasha had hoped he wouldn't have to tell her about what had happened the previous night, but he also felt that keeping it a secret wouldn't be best either. Inuyasha:"Well...we were attacked by several demons...that resembled wolves. Tougher than anything we've ever seen before. Before I was able to defeat them all...you were...nearly mauled to death. I...couldn't protect you, Kagome..." With that, he turned away from her in shame, then added, "I'm sorry."

Just then, Kaede walked in. Kaede:"I see that you two are awake and the miracle worker's trick worked." Kagome:"Miracle worker?" Kaede:"Yes. He was a massive black creature, with four golden eyes, and seemed to have a way to cure any wound, no matter how horrible. Both of you were near death; after he did what he needed, he left my home, said that the two of you would both by 100% when you woke up, and flew away." Kagome:"Who was this guy?" Kaede:"He called himself Brawn the Eternal Guardian. He said that he was sure the three of you would meet again soon, and that the woods were now safe. And, on a less catastrophic note, we've managed to sew a great deal of your clothing back together, Kagome."

Now that she was somewhat reassured that she wouldn't have to tell her family about this, Kagome went about her normal business and changed into her usual clothes. Kagome:"Come on, Inuyasha. We should probably go get the things that we left behind last night." Inuyasha:"Do you actually think that we can trust this 'Brawn' thing?" Kagome:"Well, I can't really explain it, but I have this odd feeling that we can. I mean, why would a complete stranger risk his life to protect us?" Inuyasha:"I...suppose you're right. I just don't want to have a repeat performance of last night."

With that they were off, taking the mountain road to their camping site. On the way up the mountain, Kagome noticed that Inuyasha was unusually tense; Inuyasha had been planning something for quite sometime, and decided that this was the best time to act on it. Soon, the twosome came to the campsite they'd set up the previous night. That's when Inuyasha placed his hands firmly on Kagome's shoulders and looked at her eyes. Inuyasha:"Kagome...there's...something I need to say." Kagome looked back at him curiously. Inuyasha:"Kagome, I realize that we've been through a lot together. But, there've been times when I couldn't protect you, and there've been times I've let you down. And, I know that I may never be able to completely forget about Kikyo, but..." Kagome started to cry, because she had an idea of what Inuyasha was getting at. Inuyasha:"...last night made me realize just how much I need you. What I'm trying to say is, I truly love you, Kagome. Will...you...marry me?" She immediately jumped at him and hugged him tightly. Kagome:"Yes! Yes, I will!" Inuyasha smiled widely. Inuyasha:"Thank you, Kagome. Thank you for being here with me..." The two of them stood, frozen in that hugging position, for a long time afterwards.

At about the same time, Matt returned from Dimension 1 and transformed. Matt happened to look at his hand and noticed that his Dragon's Soul, which usually was just a red seal on his gloves, had disappeared! Instead, his entire glove turned red, and Matt noticed a familiar golden glow around his body. To finish, his eyes changed from gold to green. His Dragon's Soul had changed into an aura of golden light around his body, which also surrounded his Mace and Dragon Chains. Simply put, his Chains could now be used to shield others; Matt's powers had evolved once again, peaking out at last! Matt:"[Inner] Hey! I almost forgot what it was like to have an aura around me. Now I don't need any external light to see. Hmm..." Up ahead, his Soul Sense picked up Inuyasha and Kagome, in addition to several other souls heading in their direction! Matt:"[Inner] Great...more trouble. At least Inuyasha can handle just about all of those things on his own." So, Matt went flying off at 300 mph in their direction.

Suddenly, Inuyasha and Kagome's passionate moment was spoiled by the arrival of 100 demons! Inuyasha:"Damn you bastards! You never give up! Windscar!" The blast did what it was designed to do; destroy 100 demons in a single stroke. However, one of them survived. This demon's skin was as hard as Osmium, the hardest known metal to Inuyasha's world! Demon:"Nice try, half-breed, but you can't kill me with such as weak attack!" Inuyasha powered up Tetsusaiga to the Dragon-Scale state, the strongest of all. Again, he unleashed the Windscar; at the same time, Kagome fired a Sacred Arrow at the demon. The concussive combination hit the Osmium Demon with explosive results. Unfortunately, when the smoke cleared, the demon remained, suffering only a deep gash! Demon:"I told you already, half-breed! That attack actually made be stagger, but it was barely enough to penetrate my Osmium-hard skin! Prepare t..." The demon was stopped short; quick as flash, Matt appeared and sliced the demon in half!"

Matt:"Osmium you may be, but adamantium am I!" Matt was standing in a shaded part of the woods, but the light his aura was giving off lit up his features for them to see. Inuyasha:"Now what!" Matt:"Relax. We're on the same side. On another note, it seems the 'Blood Trick' worked, as always." Kagome:"[Inner] Huh! What was that thing Kaede told us about? 'He was a massive black creature with four golden eyes.' Well, he has four eyes, but they're green, and Kaede didn't tell us the thing had an aura of light surrounding its body... [Audible] You...wouldn't happen to the this 'Brawn' creature that Kaede told us about, would you?" Matt:"So, Kaede already told you about what happened last night, did she? Well, to answer your question, yes, I am Brawn the Eternal Guardian." He stepped out of the shade and reached out his lower right arm to Kagome, and his upper right arm to Inuyasha. Matt:"It's an honor to finally make the acquaintance of Kaede's 'legendary company'."

Inuyasha immediately turned away with his arms crossed, refusing the hand shake; this came as little surprise to Matt. As for Kagome, she seemed to trust him a bit more than her boyfriend, but she also appeared to be trembling in fear. Matt:"[Inner] Hmm? Why is she so afraid? Hunting demons is life in this place. Perhaps it isn't fear, but reluctance; I don't look even remotely human in this form..." So, Matt shut his eyes, and a short, golden flash forced Kagome to shut her eyes. Matt:"There..." Both Kagome and Inuyasha were shocked to hear a different voice, and immediately looked back at him. Matt:"...perhaps I am less overwhelming now?"

Kagome:"You're...a half-demon?" Matt:"Yeah, 2/7 to be exact." Inuyasha:"How is it even possible to be 2/7 demon!" Matt:"You wouldn't believe my genetics, even if I told you. In the meantime, just please refer to me by my human name, 'Matt'. I almost hate it when people call me 'Brawn', even when I'm in my transformed state." He re-extended his right hand. Inuyasha still refused to shake it, but this time, Kagome shook it with no visible reluctance. Inuyasha:"So, 'Matt', what's so strange about your genetics?" Matt:"Hahahahaha...well, you asked for it. I'm 1 part Dragon, 2 parts alien, 2 parts demon, 1 part enhanced human, and 1 part normal human."

Inuyasha & Kagome:"How...?" Matt:"Did I get all that DNA? Well, I'm not sure why, but I was chosen by God to defend the Earth. So, he gave me the powers of a Dragon, and my powers continued to evolve, until the rest of the DNA came together. My powers have finally reached their peak: Brawn the Eternal Guardian. But, enough about me. How are you two holding up? The last I saw of you, both of you were nearly werewolf chow." Kagome:"Well, we're..." Inuyasha:"We're doing just fine, 'Mr. Guardian', so just back off and leave us alone! And what the hell do you mean by 'werewolf'!" Matt:"I'm in no way, shape, or form trying to steal her from you, Inuyasha, so you can stop being so overprotective. As for those wolves, I can't really explain how they came to your world. Perhaps, a dimensional gate was somehow opened from the Shadowlands when I came to your dimension. If that's the case, then all I can really say is 'sorry'. But, what I'm more worried about, if is werewolves managed to come through a dimensional gate, more supernatural threats could follow..."

Inuyasha:"Heh. I can take care of myself and Kagome just fine _without_ any help from _you_!" For the first time in his life, Matt felt forced to be a devil's advocate; Matt:"Oh, you mean like you handled those wolves? Look, Inuyasha, you may be phenomenally strong, and you did take out your fair share of the werewolves, but if more were to come through a dimensional gate, **you will die**! Only a _Hunter_, someone who was given the power to vanquish the undead, like Brawn, is able to take on endless hordes of monsters! For a non-Hunter, taking out 1 werewolf is an accomplishment; but you killed 25, something even true Hunters have a hard time doing. For that, I commend you. But, whether you like it or not, if more than 20 or so of any other monster besides a demon shows up, odds are that you'll be in real trouble. You saw for yourself, probably, even Sacred Arrows couldn't stop those things! It might be different for others, but assuming more did come, and they had the same immunity, only another demon would be able to help you and I don't think that too many demons care much for human life around here! All I'm trying to say is, it might be beneficial for everyone if you let me come with you, at least until we can all be sure no more undead threats can come through any dimensional gates."

Inuyasha started to growl, both out of annoyance and because he knew that Matt was right. Regardless, he replied, "Heh! I don't take in strays!" Kagome:"Listen, Inuyasha. You know I'm on your side, right?" Inuyasha:"Of course I do." Kagome:"Well, I think that we should let him come with us, at least for a while. Besides, we agreed to meet Miroku and Sango in the next village over a while back. The forest near it is pitch black, even during the day. If for no other reason, his aura can light our way." Inuyasha:"...Fine. But this doesn't mean that I trust him. Come on, let's get back to the village." With that, they were off. Matt, on the other hand, stood back, not wanting to be where he wasn't wanted. Inuyasha:"Well, you coming or not, Matt?" Matt's face turned to big smile, and he quickly caught up to the twosome.

Once the group of two became a group of three, Kagome suggested that the three of them got to know each other a little better. Although somewhat reluctantly, Inuyasha was the first to speak; Inuyasha:"So, Matt, what family do you have? The only real family I have is my mother, but she died a long time ago. I've got a half-brother, but I don't see him much. Course, that's because we both sorta hate each other's guts." Kagome:"Yeah, get them in the same room, and the fists start flying!" Matt:"Hahahaha. Yeah, I used to have that kind of relationship with some of my relatives, but it was all in jest. Now, though, I can't see any of them anymore..." Kagome:"What do you mean?" Matt:"Well...I suppose I should tell someone, to get it off of my chest, before I implode. A serial killer murdered my entire family to get back at me for arresting him more than 15 years ago. Back in my dimension, it's Christmas time, so everyone was in my childhood home for the celebration. He planted bombs around the house and blew it to smithereens, along with everyone inside. Because of my Healing Factor, I alone survived, with only a lost left arm to show for it. Soon after, my arm regenerated and I almost killed that bastard with my bare hands; he was waiting across the street for me, as if he wanted me to kill him. But, my conscience stopped me. So, after that, I came here, in an effort to sooth my soul and to try to make sure that what happened to me didn't happen to anybody else. Soon after I arrived, I was attacked by a demon. I tried to let it live, but it persisted, so I was forced to kill it. Later, I reached your village and was taken to Kaede, who told me about you two and your past exploits. A few hours later, the werewolves attacked...and you both already know the rest..."

Inuyasha & Kagome:"That's a terrible story! [Kagome] Not that I'm not glad, but how did you know we were in trouble?" Matt:"Unlike most things, I have six senses. The five that everything has plus the power to sense souls. With it, I was able to sense your plight, so I rushed to the rescue. [Sighs] My Healing Factor doesn't heal emotional wounds, but perhaps I'll be able to find some peace here..." So, the threesome walked back to the village together; all the while, Inuyasha and Kagome were holding hands and smiling. Matt pretended not to notice, but thought, "That's one pair of lovebirds that _deserves_ to be together!" With the first official meeting out of the way, all that remained for Inuyasha, Kagome, and Matt were the journeys ahead!

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><p>*Author's Note*<p>

In case anybody didn't know, Nathanial Arkady is from the "Hunter the Reckoning" video game, released for Gamecube and X-Box.


	2. New Allies

Shortly after the conversation ended, Matt and the others reached the village. Kaede:"So, I see that the three of you met. Am I to assume that he is to be your guest for the time being?" Kagome:"Yeah, Kaede. He's going to be traveling with us, at least for a while, and he has no other place to live, so...would you be willing to let him live in the village for a while?" Kaede:"Most assuredly. If he doesn't wish to live in your hut, he can stay in mine." Matt:"I'm much obliged, but I can make my own accommodations." Kaede:"Very well. I'll leave you to make your own arrangements."

Soon, night fell. Inuyasha and Kagome were staying in a hut near Kaede's. Suddenly, Kagome heard strange music coming from outside. Kagome:"Huh? Where's that music coming from. It sounds...so...sad." Inuyasha:"I don't know. We should go check it out." The couple went out of their hut, following their ears. Eventually, they came to a tree where Inuyasha used to spend a great deal of his time. Near the top, oddly enough, on the branch where Inuyasha would always sit, they saw Matt laying on his back, looking towards the star lit sky. Matt's Dragon Chains (which were only 30 feet in length in his normal state) were extended partially, and the music was emanating from them! Kagome:"Is that music coming from...those chains?" Inuyasha:"That's what it looks like. I've heard of some demons that have extendable limbs can use those limbs to express what is in their hearts." Kagome:"Well, if that's right, he's really sad. Well, I guess I'd feel the same way if my whole family was gone..."

Leaving him be, Inuyasha and Kagome went back to their own hut. A few hours later, morning came. The loving couple went back to the tree to find that Matt was still lying in the tree. Inuyasha:"Did he stay there all night?" Matt sent one of his chains down. Matt:"Yeah." He ended up startling Inuyasha and Kagome when he spoke through his Chain. Matt:"You were right about the whole 'Song of the Heart' thing, Inuyasha. But, unlike most of that kind of demon, I can speak through my Dragon Chains as well." With that, he leaped down from the tree branch. Matt:"And I must say, that tree branch was a lot more comfortable than I thought it would be!"

Kagome:"Well, I don't want to rush you, Matt, but we were planning on leaving for that neighboring village rather early. Even during the day, the forest in between is almost pitch black, and it gets even worse during the night. The sooner we leave, the better." Matt:"That's fine." So, after a quick breakfast, the threesome was off towards the aptly named _Forest of Shadows_. It was about a four hour walk in between Kaede's village and the Forest. At the entrance, they sat down and had a quick lunch. Immediately afterwards, they all proceeded into the Forest of Shadows.

Even at the entrance there was almost no light. Matt:"Jeez. You guys weren't kidding; I can't see an inch in front of my face!" Inuyasha:"Even with torches its almost impossible to get through the forest; the torches always go out before you get out of the forest. The forest path is about a 10 hour walk, which means it will be nightfall before we know it." Therefore, it wasn't long before a brief, gold flash filled the forest followed by the constant light of Matt's aura. Matt:"Torches might not last, but as long as I'm in my transformed state, this light will _never_ go out!" Kagome:"That's good to hear. Even better is that now demons can't sneak up on us. We've had to take this forest path before, and it wasn't an easy trip. At least that time, though, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kilala were with us. That made fighting the few demons that roam these woods a lot easier." Inuyasha:"What are you talking about, Kagome? I can sniff out any demon that comes near us before it has a chance to do any damage." Matt:"And I can sense their souls. So, there needn't be any worries; we'll all get through this, completely unscathed!" Kagome nodded, put at ease greatly.

The group continued for another four hours, without incident. Finally, though, the walk took its toll on Kagome. Kagome:"Hey, Inuyasha, can we stop here? I can't take another step." Inuyasha:"If you're tired, I'll carry you on my back for a while, but we should get through this forest as quickly as possible." Matt:"I agree with Kagome. Besides, I can hear your stomach growling from here..." Matt extended a Dragon Chain up through the trees, above the tallest branches, to look at the sky, then added, "...and it's dark outside the forest, which means we've been traveling for at least 9 hours."

Inuyasha finally succumbed to his hunger and agreed to stop. Matt used his power to "see" through his Dragon Chains and gathered firewood, all the while not leaving Kagome and Inuyasha's sides. After a sufficient amount of wood had been gathered, they started a fire; this served two purposes, cooking supper and giving off additional light. Once the fire was started, Matt changed back to normal. The amount of light in the woods was decreased greatly, but it was enough to allow the threesome to see in a twenty foot radius. After a short time to cook "Ninja-food", as Inuyasha called it, the three of them sat down to eat.

Matt:"So, tell me you two, why are Miroku and Sango not hanging with you like they did in the past?" Kagome:"I guess it would be because we started to require different things. Inuyasha and I were still focused on finding and destroying an evil demon named Naraku, while Miroku and Sango were concentrating on finding a cure for Miroku." Matt:"Cure?" Inuyasha:"Yeah. A while ago, that lecher of a monk used his _Windtunnel_ on Naraku. But, as a result, a small portion of the demon's miasma was swallowed up into the Windtunnel." Matt:"Is that bad?" Inuyasha:"Under normal circumstances, no. He could swallow up hundreds of demons and trap them in an infinite void that exists in his right palm. But, since he absorbed miasma along with some demon parts, it's slowing spreading a blood virus throughout Miroku's body. If it reaches his heart, he'll die. To top it off, using his Windtunnel quickens the process." Kagome:"Miroku knows that he'll die unless he can find cure to his ailment; his veins shoot out in a disfiguring red scar that spreads as the virus does. The last we saw of him, it was this far along." Kagome pointed to a part of her chest, only six inches away from her heart! Kagome:"So, Miroku and Sango went from village to village, trying to find a cure or at least a way to slow its progress."

Matt:"Wow, that sucks. Whatever happened to your buddy, Shippo?" Kagome:"Well, he grew up a lot from five years ago. He sort of went his own way, but said that the five of us would meet again in the future. I'd imagine that, since we're going to meet Miroku and Sango in the village outside of these woods, Shippo may have met up with them along the way." Inuyasha:"Yeah, if the little coward didn't get himself killed yet." Kagome:"Inuyasha!" Inuyasha:"I'm kidding. I'm sure that even he can take care of himself." Matt couldn't help but chuckle at the display, as it reminded him of the almost limitless times similar events occurred in the Anime he watched when he was younger.

However, his chuckle was cut short. In a westward direction, he sensed four souls approaching. Inuyasha and Kagome saw him look in that direction with a stern look. Inuyasha:"What is it?" Matt:"We've got company." Inuyasha:"I don't smell anything." Matt:"I guess my Soul Sense has more range than your sense of smell. But anyway, you two stay here. I'll go check it out." At that, Matt transformed and flew off in the direction of the souls. Kagome:"Inuyasha, you don't suppose it could be..." Inuyasha:"It's possible. Well, if it is them, then Matt's going to be in for a surprise..."

It turned out that Kagome was right; Miroku and Sango were also traveling through the woods, just taking a different path. They continued walking for a ways, until Matt suddenly landed in their path! Matt:"I'm not too keen on being tracked!" With the light that was being emanated from his Dragon's Soul, Matt could see that there were four people: a man, a woman, a large cat-like demon, and a small fox demon. Before Matt could explain his mistake (he'd realized that the group of four he'd confronted was really Miroku and the others), Sango lashed out.

Sango:"We weren't tracking any demons, but if you were tracking us, we won't go down without a fight! Hiraikotsu!" Hiraikotsu was a gigantic boomerang made from demon bones, and capable of slicing through most demon flesh with ease! She threw the boomerang straight at Matt, who used his four arms to block the boomerang. Matt's skin was already thick enough that Hiraikotsu wouldn't penetrate, but his adamantium bones enhanced this trait. Matt:"Ugh! Man, that thing's got a kick! Hey, can we all just calm down!" Shippo:"Wait! How can we just trust something that just attacked us?" Matt:"If I wanted to hurt you, _Shippo_, I would have!"

Miroku walked into the light of Matt's aura, slowly; it was obvious that the virus was taking its toll on him. Miroku:"How..do..you..know Shippo?" Matt:"The four of you and I have two mutual acquaintances." Sango:"You know Inuyasha and Kagome?" Matt:"Yeah. Those two lovebirds are waiting for me about 30 miles back. If you'd like, I can take you to them." Shippo's fox nose picked up traces of Inuyasha's scent flowing from Matt's clothing. Shippo:"I can smell Inuyasha on his clothes. I trust him." Miroku weakly nodded in agreement. So, Kilala, with the other three on her back, followed Matt back to Inuyasha and Kagome.

When they got back to the couple, they found them in the middle of a _long_ kiss. Miroku:"Did we...come at a...bad time?" The couple was startled, but excited to see their old friends. Kagome hugged the other four to welcome them back. Matt stood back and added more wood to the fire, increasing its size. With the extra light being emanated, Matt was able change back to normal without fear. Matt once again stood in the background and watched the scene unfolding in front of him, with a huge smile both on his face and in his soul. Now that the original five heroes were back together, all that Matt knew for sure was that the journeys ahead would only get better!

After sharing some "Ninja-food" with Miroku and the others, the original group began to talk. Sango:"So, how did you two come across your new friend?" Inuyasha:"He is _not_ our friend! He's just some wanderer who agreed to help us travel through the forest, that's all." Kagome:"Actually, we should be thanking him. He's saved our lives once and helped us in our second encounter." Shippo:"Saved your lives? What did you need saving from that Inuyasha couldn't take care of?" Inuyasha:"Nothing!" Inuyasha's pride was preventing him from admitting he needed help. Knowing her fiancé's pride, Kagome told the others what they wanted to hear; Kagome:"Well, there were mysterious demons called 'werewolves'. They seemed to be impervious to all of my Sacred Powers, and resistant to Inuyasha's demonic powers. Inuyasha managed to take out half of the 50 wolves that attacked us, but there was too many. Even the Windscar, which can take out 100 demons with one shot, only killed 13 of them! I was already mortally wounded and Inuyasha was also close to death; we would've died for sure if nothing had happened. But, Matt showed up and fought the werewolves long enough for us to get away. After that, we're not exactly sure what happened...but Kaede told us the rest of the story. After Inuyasha managed to get me back to the village, he collapsed from exhaustion. The werewolves came to village and attacked. Kaede was almost killed by one of them, but once again, Matt flew down and stopped them."

Miroku:"But...if you were mortally wounded...how are you alive?" Kagome:"Well, that's the rest of the story. Supposedly, after he'd killed the werewolves, Matt came back to the village to see if everyone was ok. After learning that we were in Kaede's hut, he entered and used some sort of spell or something to cure our injuries and heal us completely! We were both 100% when we came to the next morning! In fact, I don't think I've ever felt this good!" Suddenly, everyone turned towards Matt, who was leaning up against a tree.

He stayed away from the group, as he didn't feel entirely welcome, mostly due to Inuyasha's stubborn pride. Inuyasha:"Yeah, what did you do the heal us, Matt!" Matt seemed reluctant to answer. Kagome:"Ah, come on. We won't reveal your secret to the rest of the world." Matt:"It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I guarantee that you won't want to know." Inuyasha:"Ha! What could possibly..." Matt:"Blood." Inuyasha:"...be so ba...blood!" Matt:"Yeah. Blood. I've got the power to heal instantaneously, extremely quickly. If I put a drop or two, depending on the severity of the injury, I can temporarily transfer that power to other people."

Sango:"B..b...blood!" Matt:"I told you that you wouldn't like the answer." Inuyasha:"So...you bled all over both of us while we were unconscious!" Matt:"I don't know how else I can tell you. Yes, I bled over you two to heal you. Would you rather I didn't? You might've survived because of your demon-blood but I'm sure that your girlfriend wouldn't have been so lucky! Kaede gave me an estimate that she'd've lasted until the next morning _at best_ if I hadn't've done something!"

Matt had kind of expected what happened next; Inuyasha leaped up and smashed Matt up against a tree. Inuyasha:"How dare you! I'm gonna..." Matt:"What? Kill me?" Inuyasha growled an smacked Matt several times in the face. Inuyasha tried again, but Matt blocked the punch. Matt's lip was bleeding golden blood, another change to his DNA Structure from his final power evolution. Matt:"I might not be as strong in my normal state, but I've got enough muscle to match you any day!" Matt forced Inuyasha away with a push. Matt:"But, I have no wish to fight with any of you." With that, Matt walked away, out of the light, and out of sight.

Inuyasha growled and shouted, "HA! Good riddance!" Kagome:"Sit, boy!" Inuyasha plummeted to the ground with bone smashing force. Inuyasha:"What was that for, Kagome!" Kagome:"Whether you wanted to hear it or not, he was telling the truth! Instead of exploding on him, you should've been thanking him for saving our lives! Not only that, call me naive, but I get the feeling that he considers us to be friends! And the only friends he has at the moment to boot! I think you need to go apologize to him!"

Inuyasha started to speak, but then realized that she was right. Inuyasha:"Grrr...alright." Kagome:"I'll even go with you." So with that, the two of them took a log and made a torch, going off to find Matt and talk to him. Inuyasha soon picked up his scent and found him shortly afterward. Inuyasha was extremely reluctant to say anything at first, but eventually, after Kagome gave him a "look of death", started talking. Inuyasha:"Hey, Matt. I..." Matt:"Don't apologize. What I said was out of line. I'm the one that should be apologizing." Inuyasha:"Well, grrr...I shouldn't've picked a fight with you and I should have said 'Thank you for saving our lives' a long time ago. Truce?" Matt got down off of the tree he was sitting on and, with a smile, replied, "Truce." Having settled their differences, the threesome returned to the rest of the group.

Soon, they returned to the rest of the group. Miroku:"So, Matt, when exactly did you get your powers?" Matt:"Well, it'd be about 15 years ago. I was chosen by God, along with six of my friends, to defend what is the second dimension of my Earth. Your world is the 5th from mine. We were successful, but we were called five more times to defend that world. Each time, our powers evolved more and more, until they pecked. Life became too complicated for most of our group; there are only three of us left." Sango:"You mean...four of them got killed?" Matt:"No, they're still alive, they just had their powers removed, so they could live a normal life. I, obviously, was one of the three who was able to take the double life in stride, and not let it interfere with the ordinary life we all lead when not in our transformed states."

Shippo:"What made you come here, anyway? I mean, we've always had things under control here, at least until Miroku absorbed that Miasma..." Matt:"Well, I guess you could say that I got overconfident in my powers; in my transformed state, I'm practically invulnerable. But, my past finally caught up with me. Someone I had put in jail on my world 15 years ago got out a while ago. He tracked me to my family's home, and planted explosives. The result wasn't pretty...I was the only one that survived. So, I came here to try to sooth my soul and help out everyone I could, to try to prevent a similar tragedy from happening in other worlds."

Sango:"Well, I'd say that there are only two things that we need help with. One is finding a cure for Miroku, and the other is finding a way to defeat Naraku." Matt:"[Inner] I'd say three... [Audible] Well, regardless of how many things are required, I'll do what I can to help. First, though, we are all going to the village at the other end of these woods, correct? Then we should get some rest and continue bright and early." Kagome:"I agree. We should get some sleep." So, with that the group put out their fire and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, the group was off again. Matt's aura was lighting the way through the Forest of Shadows. Matt:"So, about how much further is it through this forest?" As Matt looked back, he saw Inuyasha carrying a still very sleepy Kagome on his back, as well as Kilala carrying the sick Miroku and his fiancé, Sango, in addition to Shippo. Inuyasha answered Matt, "Well, let's see...we've been walking for about an hour, so we've got about another hour to go." Matt:"Good. I'm getting just a bit tired of the monotonous surroundings." Inuyasha picked up the pace just a tad to catch up to Matt, while being out of ear shot of the others. Inuyasha:"I've...been meaning to ask you...why did you...even want to help Kagome and me?" Matt:"That's...a good question, Inuyasha. I suppose you can say it was because of a hunch, or even a _seventh sense_. I just seem to be able to tell a pair of **lovebirds** a mile away. I just got that feeling from you two. I felt I had to do something to help you, to prevent a tragedy like what had been inflicted upon me."

Inuyasha:"You...could...tell that just by looking at us?" Matt:"You probably won't believe this, but I've been able to see your relationship from the beginning. In my world, your exploits were merely entertainment to be viewed by people on a daily or weekly basis. I was one of millions of people who watched and enjoyed it. But, unlike most of those millions, I knew that what was entertainment, was really happening somewhere in a different world. I was right, it seems. Perhaps, I shouldn't have told you this, but I don't want to lie to a friend; and even if I didn't have this advanced knowledge, you two fight like a married couple, so it was pretty obvious."

Inuyasha:"Well, based on what I know about you, I can kind of believe anything. So, then you know about..." He looked back at Miroku and Sango. Matt:"Yeah. I also know about Lady Kikyo..." Inuyasha growled, as if Matt had struck a nerve. Matt:"Sorry, I didn't mean to strike a nerve. She's resting in peace, finally, isn't she?" Inuyasha:"...Yeah. She was killed in a confrontation with Naraku. I couldn't protect her, but she seemed happy that I at least tried. That was enough to finally put her soul at peace. Since then, she hasn't reappeared, and that was almost five years ago." Matt:"That's good news. In some cases, the past catching up with you can be harsh; a lesson I learned all too well... But, then again, sometimes when the past catches up to you, it is a good thing, or a blessing in disguise. That's how you met the love of your life, is it not?" Inuyasha:"Well, yeah, I suppose it is. I was nailed to a tree by an arrow Kikyo had shot at me...later, I was freed by Kagome, but you know all that already, don't you?" Matt smiled, and replied, "Yeah, I suppose I do..."

By the time this conversation ended, the group was finally out of the woods. Matt changed back to normal and said to Inuyasha, "It seems that talk we had served multiple purposes. It made the time fly, and we both got a great deal off of our chests." Inuyasha gave a short smile in reply, but that was all Matt needed to see; he was finally gaining at least a small amount of the half-demon's trust and friendship, and that was good enough for him.


	3. Old Foes Die Hard

*Author's Note*

One of the villians ( I shant spoil it here :)) was the main villian in the first story in this series-just to clear up/explain it ahead of time in case any readers are wondering where he came from.

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><p>Up ahead a ways, the group could see the village they'd been looking for. Matt:"So, what's in this village that's so important, anyway?" Sango:"We'd heard that a renowned physician lives there. Perhaps, he knows how to rid the miasma from Miroku's body." Matt:"Well, couldn't you just have Kagome purify the miasma?" Miroku:"Unfortunately, that only works if she can touch the miasma directly. It's inside my Windtunnel, so nothing can touch it directly." Matt:"Hmmm...that is a problem." Matt didn't bring it up anymore for the remainder of the walk. Within minutes, the group had managed to reach the village.<p>

When they reached the village, Sango asked around about the legendary physician. Unfortunately, everybody she asked said that the physician had passed away, taking his medical knowledge and secrets with him! This news was very adverse, but the group pressed forward anyway. Soon, after they reached an inn to get lunch, Matt's soul sense kicked in. Matt:"I'll be back in a bit. I just sensed something nearby." Matt left the inn and flew towards a nearby forest following the soul he'd sensed briefly.

Soon, Matt landed in the forest. Matt:"[Inner] That's strange. I only felt that soul for a second. I should be able to detect it for as long as I want." Suddenly, Matt heard a deep voice from behind him. ?:"So, it seems that I am not the only demon who is roaming these woods." Matt turned to see the very embodiment of evil; Naraku.

Matt immediately got down on one knee, acting on an impulsive plan. Matt:"Great Demon Naraku! I'm at your service! [Inner] If he takes the bait, I'll be able to hang around him long enough to get his 'soul pattern' figured out. Once I do that, I can detect him and his other incarnations. Inuyasha is probably going to hate me for this, but if I really want to help him, I don't have much of a choice!" To Matt's great, but unexpected, liking, Naraku accepted Matt's service! Naraku:"It seems that not all demons are stupid enough to challenge my power, unlike that imbecile, Inuyasha. Speaking of whom...I have a very important job for you, servant." Matt had a bad feeling about what he was about to hear, but listened anyway, keeping up his act. Naraku:"I want you to defeat Inuyasha!" Matt:"[Inner] Great...I was afraid he'd say that. [Audible] Yes, Master."

Back in the village, Inuyasha and the others began to get impatient. Sango:"What do you think is keeping him?" Inuyasha:"Who knows?" Kagome:"Do you think we should wait for him?" Inuyasha:"Nah. We'll head out towards the next village. He'll be able to track our souls with that power of his. He'll catch up whenever he's finished with whatever he's doing." Kagome:"Yeah, I guess you're right..." So, although somewhat reluctantly, Inuyasha and the others left the village and continued down the road a ways. About an hour after they'd left, they met up with Matt on the road, but Kagome noticed something different about him...

Matt had clawed a spider onto his forehead, to make it appear as if Naraku had him under his control. Kagome:"Oh no! He's fallen under Naraku's spell! It must've been Naraku that he sensed back in the village!" Inuyasha:"Well, if that's the case, then the best thing that we can do for him is to kill him!" Matt tried his best to make his laughter sound sadistic and evil, and from the others' expressions, he was doing a decent job. Inuyasha bum-rushed Matt, but he grabbed both of Inuyasha's arms with his lower set. Matt showed no emotion, even though _inside_ he was killing himself, as he slammed Inuyasha over and over again with his upper set of arms. Kagome:"We've gotta do something!" Miroku:"Not with Inuyasha in the way!" Finally, Matt, all the while laughing sadistically, ripped both of Inuyasha's arms off!

As Inuyasha started to shriek with unbelievable agony, Matt clapped his upper right hand over his mouth. Matt:"I _can't_ stand it when people squirm!" Matt then added something in a low voice so only Inuyasha could hear, then threw him towards his friends. Matt then saw something he didn't like; Miroku was preparing his Windtunnel! Matt looked up and saw that several of Naraku's Samiyosho had been watching the fight the entire time, and would probably try to poison Miroku even more. But, when Miroku released the Windtunnel, much against Sango's wishes, Matt noticed two things; one being that the Samiyosho didn't come down in front of him, and two, the Windtunnel wasn't affecting him!

Kagome:"That strange aura of his must be what's protecting him!" Matt:"[Inner] Wait! My Dragon's Soul is protecting me from the Windtunnel! I just might be able to help Miroku out!" So, Matt released a Dragon Chain and sent it straight for Miroku's Windtunnel. Before Miroku could close it, the chain flowed inside, causing Miroku extreme pain. Matt:"[Inner] Sorry about this, but if I don't do something now, the miasma that's inside you is going to kill you! Hmm...my Dragon's Soul isn't purifying the miasma, but it is causing it to solidify! I'll be able to rip it out of him!" That's just what Matt did, but he had to block Hiraikotsu during the extraction process. After a short while, Matt pulled his chain out, along with a purple-colored, ice-like substance. In addition, Matt's Dragon's Soul proceeded to shrink the damage he'd done to the Windtunnel and stunted its growth; in simple terms, Matt prolonged Miroku's life by more than just a couple of years.

With his job complete, Matt started to fly off, along with the Samiyosho. Along the way, he shouted back in his false, sadistic voice, "Without Inuyasha, you don't stand a chance at defeating Naraku! Hahahaha!" Kagome:"You TRAITOR!" With that, she fired a Sacred Arrow. Matt sent a Chain down, catching the arrow and brought it back to Kagome. She started to shake with fear, but then she noticed something; the eyes on the Dragon Chain molded into a pleading look, then went back to its master.

Kagome looked at her maimed fiancé with pity, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, Inuyasha's arms regenerated! Kagome:"I knew you could heal fast, but I didn't know you could regenerate limbs!" Inuyasha:"I can't. [Sigh] I don't know what to make of what's going on. First he rips my arms off, then he shoves some kind of capsule in my mouth and says, 'Don't bite down on this until after I leave.'! Next thing I know, my arms have grown back! If I didn't know better, I'd say that capsule was filled with his blood!" Sango:"Yeah. He's laughing sadistically, but then he heals Miroku. That strange aura around his body solidified the miasma and he extracted it from Miroku's Windtunnel." Kagome:"And his chain...first I thought he was going to harm me, but then the eyes on the chain suddenly shifted into this desperate, pleading look. It was as if he was saying to me 'I didn't want to do this.'." Inuyasha:"I don't care if he 'wanted' to do it or not! I'm going to follow him and give him a real piece of my mind!" Kagome knew that the real meaning of that was he wanted to help Matt, but he was still too proud to admit such things. So, the group took off after Matt with Inuyasha tracking his scent.

Further up the road, Matt had rejoined Naraku, who seemed to be rather irritated at him. Naraku:"The Samiyosho inform me that you didn't kill Inuyasha." Matt:"Well, Master, you said to 'defeat' him, not to 'kill' him. And besides, I might look like a brute, but I despise violence and killing. I avoid it whenever possible, but if that is what you require, then so be it. At least I ripped his arms off. He can no longer fight against you." Naraku:"And what of the act with the Windtunnel?" Matt:"I was trying to enlarge the Windtunnel, so Miroku would die faster. I merely removed the miasma so he could reflect on the quickened, inevitable conclusion." Naraku:"Hmm...I suppose it is true what they say, 'the bigger you are, the dumber you are'. Very well, you don't like violence, so you shall not receive any more jobs that involve it. I shall instead send in someone who has the stomach for it..."

Suddenly, Matt's Soul Sense kicked in again and he sensed a very familiar soul; a soul he never wanted to sense again. From in the woods, a large figure appeared. That figure was Giga Bowser! Matt:"[Inner] WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING ALIVE? No doubt, Naraku revived him to be his servant. With any luck, though, Giga Bowser won't blow my cover; he's never seen Brawn, but he might recognize the aura." Immediately, Giga Bowser looked down at his tiny counterpart. GB:"You seem awfully familiar to me, Shrimp. I can't put my finger on it, though." Matt:"[Inner] Phew. Naraku's right; the bigger you are, the dumber you are. I just need another couple of minutes, then I'll be able to pull my double-cross. I've almost got his soul pattern figured out!"

Just then, Inuyasha and the others appeared. Matt:"[Inner] Perfect timing. [Audible] So, you still haven't had enough, have you?" Naraku:"[Disgusted] I thought you said you ripped his arms off!" Matt:"Well, his full-demon blood must've taken over and allowed him to heal even faster." Naraku:"You shall pay for your incompetence! Giga Bowser, kill them _and_ your predecessor!" Miroku:"What the heck is that?" Inuyasha:"Something really ugly that's going down!" GB:"With pleasure! I'll save you for last, Small-Fry!"

Both Naraku and Giga Bowser began firing blasts of demonic energy; Giga Bowser had been enhanced upon his revival. He still couldn't heal, but his resilience was increased ten-fold and he gained the power to fire demonic blasts. Matt:"Dragonic Backlash!" As the gold blast formed in his hands, he flew forward towards Inuyasha and the others. As he flew forward, he allowed the spider "tattoo" to heal. He heard Giga Bowser fire another blast, so he turned in midair and unleashed Dragonic Backlash. GB:"You might be strong, but you're not strong enough to overcome my blast!" Matt was actually twice as powerful as Giga Bowser in his final form, but Dragonic Backlash was different from his other blasts. Instead of being just pure power (30 Atomic Bombs), it held similar properties at Inuyasha's Backlash Wave; in the presence of demonic energy, instead of reflecting it with multiple times the power, Dragonic Backlash would absorb the energy. As the energy was gathered, the blast's size would increase, until it reached 20x20 with double the power!

Giga Bowser didn't let up his attack, so Matt absorbed enough energy to double the blast's power! Matt:"DIE!" The massive blast surged forwards and completely overpowered Giga Bowser's. In addition, it pierced Naraku's barrier and sent both villians flying! GB:"Why you...YOU!" After the blast, Matt had returned to his normal state. Matt:"Yeah, long time no see, Giga Bowser! As for you, Naraku, I couldn't completely detect your soul with my powers before, but since I became your 'servant' I've been with you long enough to finally figure out your 'soul pattern'. Which means, I can track you or _any_ of your incarnations within a 100 mile radius. And that includes your precious heart! So, you better run and run **far**, Naraku!" GB:"This isn't over, Matt!" Soon, both villains turned tail and ran as fast as they were able.

Matt turned to his friends and said, "I want to apologize for deceiving you. I did sense Naraku in the woods back in the village and when I found that I couldn't sense his soul properly, I came up with a spur of the moment plan to become his false servant and get a feel for his 'soul'. Oh, and sorry about the whole 'ripping your arms off' thing, Inuyasha. I know how that feels... Look, I understand completely if all of you hate me now, but I figured it was the best way to help." Inuyasha:"You could've said something to us instead of just suddenly 'turning evil'! Why didn't you? I thought we were friends!"

Matt's frown instantly turned upside-down when Inuyasha said "friend". Matt:"Well, because you can't act." Inuyasha:"WHAT?" Matt:"If I'd've told you, you would've held back just a little bit and Naraku would've figured out my ruse." Inuyasha:"What makes you think I can't act?" Matt:"Oh, come on, Inuyasha! Don't tell me you've forgotten about the time you nearly destroyed the set of a play Kagome was in out of jealousy!" Kagome couldn't help but burst out laughing when Matt said this. Shippo:"What does he mean, Kagome?" Kagome was fighting her laughter as she started to talk; Kagome:"Well, haha, close to five years ago, haha, I went back to my time period for while. During that time, I was drafted into the cultural festival at our school."

Sango:"And?" Kagome:"Well, on the day of the festival some demons came out the dried foods I took back with me. Inuyasha had to search the school and look for them. Eventually, it was time for the play. I had the main female role, which involved a love scene. I was about to hug Hogo in the play, when suddenly a jealous half-demon bursts through the background!" Miroku:"What happened next?" Kagome:"I had to think quickly, so I made up a few lines. I dubbed Inuyasha 'Hanapart Pecapon' in the play, and said to Hogo to leave this 'tangled web'. I thought that would work, but Hogo took his role as the prince too seriously, and challenged Inuyasha to a duel! Hogo was saved when the last demon broke through the stage. That was one of the funniest, but longest, days of my life!"

By now, everybody, except Inuyasha, was laughing. Miroku:"I never said thank you for curing me of the miasma, Matt." Matt:"You'll never have to. That's what friends are for, and besides, it's the least I could do after temporarily betraying you guys like that." Inuyasha:"That reminds me..." With that, he slugged Matt hard in the face! Kagome:"Inuyasha!" Matt:"No, no, I deserved that one." Inuyasha hit him a second time. Matt:"I probably deserved that one, too." After the third hit, Matt said, "Ok, _now_ I'm going to start evening things out!" With that, the two engaged in a friendly spar. Though the two were pummeling the hell out of each other, once Kagome saw the smiles across their faces, she didn't worry. Shippo:"Shouldn't we do something about that?" Kagome:"Nah. Let 'em fight. I get the feeling that this is the start of a beautiful friendship..." So, with the betrayal behind them, the group was now free to focus on the much more important, and adventurous, things ahead!


	4. Back To Modern Times

A couple of days after the temporary betrayal, both Inuyasha and Matt were still a tiny bit sore from the friendly brawl. Kagome:"Hey, we're going to go back to my world for a little bit, so we can tell everybody the good news." Sango:"Good news?" Kagome:"I can't believe that we didn't tell you guys! Inuyasha proposed to me! We're getting married!" Sango:"No way! Congratulations! I can't believe he actually did it!" Kagome:"Yeah, I was a little surprised when he asked me, but at the same time, I couldn't have been happier." Sango:"That's how I felt when Miroku asked me." The men in the group were lagging behind, to let them talk in peace. Eventually, the group made it to the well that Kagome and Inuyasha used to travel between the two time periods. Kagome:"I don't know when we'll be back, so we'll see ya!" With that, Inuyasha and Kagome jumped down the well and appeared on the other side.

Miroku:"Well, now what? Should we look for Naraku or that monster that was with him? Or, should we just rest and wait for Inuyasha and Kagome to get back?" Matt:"Giga Bowser has a massive grudge against me; my friends and I killed him on two different occasions, so I can guarantee that he's either going to lay in hiding, now that he knows I'm here with you guys, or look for me until I waste him again. As for what we should do, we should go with them to pay a visit." Shippo:"We can't. We would've already done it if we were able, but we can't go through the well. That's the only way to get to Kagome's time period." Matt:"I know all that already. But, let's just say that the well isn't the only way to get there anymore..."

With that, Matt pressed a button on his key chain summoning his Super Truck. Sango:"What is that?" Matt:"It's a device from the same or, perhaps, somewhat beyond Kagome's time. It's called a 'Truck' but I modified this one with a Dimensional Warp Capacity. It's how I got into this Dimension in the first place. So, I figured that this is the **Main Dimension** there might be **Sub-Dimensions** as well. Perhaps, Kagome's time period is considered by my Super Truck to be a Sub-Dimension. If that's the case, then I can get myself, and the rest of you, to Kagome's time period so you can visit. I'm sure that you've been wanting to meet Kagome's mom and thank her for giving you all those meals, right?"

Miroku:"Yes! We've been aching to give our thanks to Kagome's mother, but, obviously, we were never able to thank her personally." Shippo:"Do you think that this will work?" Matt:"Well, I don't know if it will or not for sure, but I don't think it'll hurt to try. Well, step inside..." So, although somewhat reluctantly, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kilala went inside of the Super Truck. Matt got into the driver's seat and said, "Now, there are things called 'seatbelts' that hold you in the seat. It's for your safety; this thing can go awfully fast compared to what you're used to." Matt typed in a bunch of keys on a keyboard on the dashboard. A male-sounding computer voice said once all the keys were typed, "Coordinates locked. Dimension 5.2. Auto-Location-Lock Engaged." Matt:"Alright guys. Here's the moment of truth; hold on tight!" Matt put the truck into gear and they were off. With a white flash, suddenly they appeared in a different place, with modern buildings off in the distance. Surrounding the truck, though, was a shrine and a house! Matt:"Well, what do ya know! Not only was I correct about the Sub-Dimensions that started with Dimension 5, but we warped straight to Kagome's house!"

Soon, everybody was out of the Truck and looking around with amazement at their new surroundings. With a press of a button, the Super Truck was off towards "Home Base" and everybody started to head toward Kagome's house. Matt:"Hmm...that's odd. Kagome and Inuyasha don't seem to be here. Kagome's mom and her little brother are here, though. You guys stay here, I'll go look for Kagome and Inuyasha." Shippo:"Why don't we come with you?" Matt:"Well, a talking fox is a little strange to normal people, Shippo. Not to mention a kitten with two tails that can change into something the size of a lion at will. To top it off, Sango and Miroku's clothing isn't exactly the 'in thing' in this time period. I don't mean to push you all away, but it's for the best. I look 'normal' to these people, so I'll look around. As for you guys, you should introduce yourselves to Kagome's family. They've seen Inuyasha enough, so it won't be anything new." Miroku:"Yes, I see your point. Very well, we'll see about meeting Kagome's family." With that, Matt went off into modern Tokyo.

Matt:"[Inner] Ok, their **Soul Patterns** are in a westward direction..." Suddenly, Matt heard an explosion coming from up ahead! Matt:"[Inner] So much for a vacation. Hero time!" Matt started to use his Dragon Chains to swing from the street lights and got to the scene up ahead rather quickly. Up ahead, Matt saw a general store being held up by deranged men, armed to the teeth! The ring leader was out front, telling the cops to back off, as they had hostages; one of the hostages was being held at gunpoint by the ring leader. Matt used his "Bad-Ass Method" approach: at the peak of a swing, he retracted his chains and fell towards the ring leader. The ring leader was a huge guy, so Matt was able to perform a flying kick on him without harming the women he held hostage. Matt had laid out the big guy, then sent both of his Chains inside the store, disarming the two thugs inside before they even realized what was going on!

With a simple flex of his hands, Matt caused his Chains to whip the robbers across the faces, freeing the hostages in the confusion! Matt:"Go!" The ring leader stood up, angry at the surprise attack. He tried to swing at Matt, but, despite the fact he wasn't looking right at the man, he dodged with no effort. Matt unleashed a flurry of blows against the ring leader, which knocked him completely senseless; a left, right, left to the gut, followed by an uppercut. These hits were followed by a knee-face and an iron fist to the stomach. Ten fists to the chest followed by a devastating roundhouse kick finished the flurry. During the assault, the two other evildoers tried to escape, but Dragon Chains snatched them up; Matt:"Oh, no you don't!" The men were handed over to the police and Matt continued on his way, as if nothing had happened, leaving a bewildered public to wonder what had just taken place.

A little further ahead, Matt still sensed Inuyasha and Kagome towards the west, but Matt's mind had changed from looking for them, to looking for "work". He soon found more; after a little bit, Matt saw a purse snatcher across the street, making an almost certain getaway from the old lady he'd stolen the purse from. But, Matt sent a Dragon Chain across the street, and "clothes-lined" him. The guy went down and Matt's chain picked up the purse and returned it to the old woman. Before the old woman knew it, she had her purse back and her savior was swinging away via street lights. While Matt was swinging along the street lights, he thought to himself, "I always wanted to be like Spider-Man..."

Close to an hour later, Matt came upon a huge fire that threatened to cause a building to collapse! Matt ran into the building using the main entrance. Several firemen tried to stop him, but Matt continued running regardless. Once inside, Matt sensed a soul up towards the top floor. By using his Chains, Matt scaled the stairs with little effort. Along the way, he passed a few firemen trying to scale the same staircase, but the flames were too intense, even with their protective gear. The firemen watched in astoundment as the young man before them not only scaled the stairs, but braved the flames that would melt someone down to the bones in seconds!

Matt's burns were rapidly increasing, but his healing was immediately taking care of them. Matt:"[Inner] Perhaps transforming might've been a good idea, but I don't want to scare whomever is trapped up there." Finally, Matt reached the top floor, his Soul Sense leading him down the hallway towards the opposite end. Finally, Matt came to the door he'd been searching for, and listened inside. Upon doing so, he heard a young girl crying inside! Matt:"If you can hear me, stay away from the door! [Inner] I better hurry! The roof looks like it's about to collapse!"

Matt ploughed through the door, to find the girl in the middle of the apartment, crying for her mother. Her tears dried when she saw Matt. Matt:"Don't worry, I'm here to help!" He extended his hand gently, and the girl took it. Suddenly, a large chuck of the roof fell and broke in half on Matt's head, creating a massive gash on his forehead. The little girl cried louder than ever, until she saw the wound seal shut on its own. Matt:"Ok, time to leave!" Matt cradled the small girl with both arms, and dove head first out the window!

At the sight before them, the crowd that formed outside of the apartment complex gasped loudly. On top of that, Matt's actions had attracted the attention of the local news crews! Matt:"Hold tight, kid!" Matt sent out both of his Dragon Chains, which attached themselves to a nearby billboard and streetlight. With both Chains latched onto something, Matt's plummet to the ground came to a sudden, and somewhat painful, stop. Matt:"You ok?" Girl:"Yeah. I remember a doggie-man saved me from a fire almost five years ago, too!" Matt:"You don't say? Well, he and I are close friends. I'll tell him that you said hi!" Matt turned to see the news crews approaching rapidly, so he latched onto the nearest street light, and swung away from the impending media-circus. As he swung away, the girl yelled after him, "Thanks again, Mister!" Matt waved to the girl and smiled, then swung off into the approaching sunset. Matt:"I better bet back to Kagome's house. The others are probably wondering what I've been up to..."

About an hour later, Matt reached Kagome's house again. Matt soon discovered that the others had been welcomed by Kagome's family and that Kagome and Inuyasha had just recently returned. Kagome:"This is a wonderful surprise, but how did you all get here? I thought that only Inuyasha and I could travel through the well." Sango:"Well, Matt had some kind of device he called a 'Truck' and used it to pass through a 'Dimensional Barrier'. Next thing we know, we're here meeting with your family and being served delicious food. We were finally able to thank your mother personally for all that fine food she's made for us over the years." Kagome:"That's good. We just stopped in to say hi, then went to see my friends here. We told them the good news, and you should've seen their faces light up!" Kagome's Mom:"What news, dear?" Kagome:"I wanted to wait until supper, but I guess now's a good time. Inuyasha proposed to me; we're getting married!"

Kagome's little brother, Sota, said, "Whoa! And here I thought Inuyasha was incapable of the 'mushy stuff'!" Kagome's Mom:"That's simply wonderful, dear! Why didn't you tell us sooner? I could've prepared a celebration meal!" Although he didn't stop Kagome from saying it, Inuyasha was turning bright red with embarrassment in the corner. Sota:"Oh, come on, Inuyasha! Even tough-guys need to settle down!"

Suddenly, something on the TV caught his attention. Sota:"Hey, look! There was a fire earlier today; it's on the news!" The TV news reporter was describing the events leading up to the fire. TV:"Earlier today, a fire broke out in the eastern apartments. Apparently, the cause of the fire was a boiler malfunction. While most of the residents were able to escape, a ten year old girl was trapped on the top floor!" Kagome:"Oh, that's horrible!" TV:"But, a young man appeared out of nowhere and rescued the girl. We've been told that the young man entered the burning building through the front entrance, despite fire officials' efforts to stop him. Firemen from inside the building commented that, and I quote, 'The man scaled the burning staircase with what looked like chains and braved flames that even our protective gear could barely guard against!' Minutes later, the following recorded scene developed..."

The scene that was shown was Matt leaping out of the window, cradling the small girl. His Chains shot out and latched onto the nearby items, rapidly slowing his descent. After he landed with a thud, the girl thanked him. Matt was then shown taking off via Dragon Chain. TV:"Nothing is known about this mysterious young man, other than he saved not only this little girl, but reports have spread that he single handedly stopped a hostage situation at a local store as well." Inuyasha:"No mistaking it. That was Matt inside that magic box!" Kagome:"Inuyasha, I've already told you this is called a 'TV' and second, I wouldn't doubt it." Sota:"Whose this 'Matt' guy, sis?" Kagome:"He's an American who found his way into Inuyasha's world, and he's been helping us out ever since." Miroku:"He's also how we got here. Speaking of whom, I wonder what's keeping him? He went out to look for you over three hours ago." Kagome:"He probably just got sidetracked helping more people. I wouldn't worry about it."

Meanwhile outside, Matt had heard the entire conversation, along with the marriage idea. Matt:"[Inner] I knew it would happen sooner or later..." Behind Matt, Kagome's Grandfather was sneaking up on Matt with a bat, not knowing the connection he had with his granddaughter. Right before he was about to swing, though, Matt suddenly said, "You know, Mr. Higurashi, it's not nice to sneak up on people..." Kagome's Grandfather screamed with fright, alerting all peoples in the house. Kagome and Inuyasha rushed outside to see Matt standing in front of the doorway, with her grandfather attempting to ward Matt off with a Sutra. Kagome sighed, then said, "What kept you, Matt?" Matt:"Oh, you know, a hero's work is never done!"

Grandfather:"You know this boy?" Kagome:"You didn't hear any of what we just said? This is 'Matt' that we told you about." Grandfather:"You mean this hoodlum that was sneaking around?" Matt:"I was looking for the front door and I happened to hear the conversation going on inside; by the way, congratulations." Kagome chuckled nervously, as if she didn't want Matt to hear that. Suddenly Sota come out and asked, "Is this that Matt guy?" Inuyasha:"Yeah. He has a habit of showing up when you least expect him to." Matt:"Hey, that hurts. You make it sound like you don't want me around. Anyway, yeah, I found my way into Inuyasha's world, and I've been helping out here and there ever since."

Sota:"Nice to meet you. Say, do you have a girlfriend? You seemed kind of interested in those two..." Kagome:"Sota! That isn't the kind of question you ask a complete stranger!" Matt chuckled nervously, then answered, "No. Never." Sota:"Why not?" Matt:"I was never really...accepted. Since I was 15, I've been different than other people." Sota:"So's Inuyasha, and look how he turned out!" Matt suddenly transformed and said, although ever calmly, but somewhat sternly as well, "Look at me. Would you want to spend time with _this_, if this was what I looked like all the time?" Sota's response was not unexpected; Sota:"Whoa! What are you? That's so cool! I think it would be great to have you as a friend!"

Matt laughed, then said, "Thanks, that means a lot, although I kind of expected that response. To answer your question, I'm kind of a medley of different things." Sota:"Like what?" Matt:"Well, in my dimension, this world is 5th in the line of dimensions and the things that happen here are shown on TV in my world as entertainment. My powers are from various dimensions that most people know as make-believe." Sota:"Cool! What are your powers made from?" Matt:"I'm 1 part Dragon, 2 parts alien, 2 parts demon, 1 part enhanced human, and 1 part normal human. One of those demons...well, that's a story for another time. [Sarcastic] So, anyway, are we all going to stay out here all night or are you going to invite me inside?"

Kagome's mother came outside at that exact moment, just in time to see Matt in his transformed state; she didn't even flinch at the monstrous sight. Kagome's Mom:"Well, my goodness, we sure are popular this evening, aren't we Kagome?" Kagome laughed then lead the way inside. As they were heading in, Matt changed back into his normal state to fit inside the doorway. Matt:"Name's Matt. I understand Kagome has told you a little bit of our recent exploits back in Inuyasha's world." Matt said this while he shook Kagome's Mom's hand. The rest of the evening was uneventful, aside from small talk about the recent adventures, and everybody soon retired for the night.

Early the next morning, Sota had to go to school. He walked outside to see that Matt was already up and about, ready for more "Hero Time". Sota:"Hey, what are you doing up so early?" Matt:"Hmm? Oh, hey Sota. Not really sure why, just want to do laps around the city, see if I can spot more trouble." Sota:"So, Matt, what made you come to our world in the first place?" Matt grimaced, indicating to Sota that he had struck a nerve. Matt:"Well, that's a story that you probably shouldn't hear..." Sota:"Why? Did something terrible happen?" Matt:"Let's just put it this way, Sota: How would you feel if your entire family disappeared off the map today, right now?" Sota:"Gee, I don't know. Pretty horrible, I guess." Matt:"That's what I feel like. My entire family was killed by a lunatic wanting to pay me back for having him arrested in my world. I would've died as well, but with my ability to heal, all those explosions occurring around me seemed like only a Sanaa. Anyway, the reason I came here was to do as much good as possible, to try to fill the void in my soul. I came here to help myself move forward, keeping their memories alive inside me all the while."

Matt then changed the subject entirely; Matt:"You want a lift to school?" Sota:"Sure. It is kind of a far walk." Matt:"Yeah, well, I always had a bus available to me when I was a kid." Matt transformed and said to Sota, "Hold on, _really_ tight." Matt flew at 300 mph, with Sota on his back, towards the Junior High that Kagome used to attend. Along the way, Sota said, "Hey! That's my girlfriend down there walking to school!" Matt immediately stopped in mid air and changed back to normal. The two of them dropped from the sky about fifty feet, with Matt landing first, Sota still on his back. "I think you can walk the rest of the way, Sota," Matt said with a wink.

The sound of impact from the landing alerted Sota's girlfriend, Hitomi. She turned just in time to see Sota approaching her. Hitomi:"Hey, Sota! Who's your friend?" Sota:"He's just a friend of my sister's who offered to escort me to school this morning." Matt:"Well, I think you're in good hands now, eh, Sota? I'll be going now." With that, Matt departed in the opposite direction. Once Matt is out of view, he uses his Chains to swing from the light poles, as he did the previous day, to search for trouble throughout the city.

Matt scoured the city of Tokyo for several hours, finding nothing amiss. Meanwhile, life at Kagome's home remained relatively normal and uneventful, besides the fact that there were several guests in the house. At long last, Matt decided to rest for a few moments near an electronics store, with a working TV sitting on display in the window. On the TV, the news was presented; Matt had never paid much attention to the news, even when he was younger, so he didn't watch too much of it. But, suddenly something caught his attention. The TV suddenly shifted from an "in the field" report to the news room, completely cutting off the news reporter at the scene. TV:"Breaking news! A short time ago, a group of terrorists took over a junior high school in the area and are threatening to start killing hostages inside if their demands aren't met!" When the news reporter showed the school in question, it was shown to be Sota's school! Matt:"[Inner] Why do I get the feeling that all this bad stuff is happening because I'm here! But, more importantly, I'm really close to the school and those kids are in trouble! Hold on, Sota, I'm coming!" With that, Matt extended his Chains once again and started to swing towards Sota's Junior High School.

Matt arrived at the scene just as every news group in the city did. Matt:"[Inner] Alright. If these guys are serious, then they'll be guarding the front door, so the direct approach is out of the question. I need someway to get in undetected. Hmm...my best bet will be to fly up to the roof and enter the school from there." Matt looked around until he found a dark alley and ran towards it. Upon entering the pitch black area, Matt transformed and flew towards the roof.

Back at Kagome's house, Kagome was trying to restrain Inuyasha so he wouldn't go off to the school and make matters worse. Kagome:"Inuyasha, I'm worried about Sota and the other kids too, but if you go down there and just barge into the school, not only will you alert the entire city of Tokyo to the fact that you're a half-demon, you'll make the terrorists jumpy! Then, who knows what'll happen!" The TV station that Kagome's family always watched had just gathered new information. TV:"The terrorists have made their demands. Apparently, they want the government of Tokyo to give them several million dollars to fund their experiments. If the demands are met, then the children will be allowed to live and go about their school day. But, the police have been warned that if anyone tries to interfere with their actions, one child will be killed each minute until there is no one left!"

Matt landed on top of the school with no interruption. Matt changed back to normal and thought to himself, "Alright, so far so good." To Matt's relief the door to the roof was unlocked, which meant he wouldn't have to rip it out and alert the terrorists. Matt cautiously went down the staircase in front of him, enhancing what his Soul Sense was already telling him. He could detect the terrorists and there were a few on the stairs, but not until the second floor. Matt was headed towards the third floor, where his Soul Sense told him that Sota, Hitomi, and several other students and faculty were being held hostage.

As Matt opened the door leading to the third floor, he froze for a second and checked to see if he'd alerted terrorists. When Matt was certain that he hadn't, he continued forward with meticulous care.

Matt slowly and silently walked down the hallway until he came to a room, in which he detected several souls; Sota and Hitomi's included. Matt listened through the door, in hopes of discovering where the terrorists were in the general vicinity. Matt soon discovered that one of the terrorists in the room was right up against the door. The terrorist was talking the students, mostly to tell them to be quiet, but also he was dispensing some information to them. Terrorist:"As long as you kids can keep your mouths shut neither this little girl nor any of you have to get hurt. Once the city pays the ransom, you'll never hear from us again, that is, until the boss completes his ultimate weapon and wipes Tokyo off the map!"

Matt heard the girl say to let her go, and discovered the terrorist's hostage was none other than Hitomi! Matt:"[Inner] That sounded like Hitomi! I'm sure that's going over well with someone in particular..." Matt was right; Sota tried to be brave and force the terrorist to let go of his girlfriend, but he was effortlessly knocked away with a bloody lip. Terrorist:"**You try anything like that again, little man, and I'll kill **_**her**_**, **_**you**_**, and **_**everybody else in this room**_! As a matter of fact, I'm going to kill you right now to deter any other heroes from rising up!"

Sota soon found himself staring down the barrel of a machine gun! Matt:"[Inner] It's now or never! [Audible] NOT ON MY WATCH!" Terrorist:"WHO SAID THAT?" Suddenly, to Sota's relief, he saw a clawed hand burst through the wooden door and grab the terrorist across the face; Matt had changed his eyes to Brawn's green and his finger nails to Bowser's Klaws to partially hide his identity. As a natural reaction, the terrorist let go of Hitomi to try and remove Matt's hand from his face. Soon, Matt pulled the terrorist through the door and threw him into the neighboring wall! Matt detected a second terrorist in the room, and sent a Dragon Chain to fetch him. He soon suffered the same fate as his comrade. Both terrorists jumped up and attempted to fight Matt. But, unfortunately for them, Matt was a much better fighter. With only a few jabs and a couple of roundhouse kicks, the terrorists were down for the count. To ensure the children's continued safety, Matt's Chains grabbed two desks from the room and brought them to him. Matt then slammed the desks through the tiled floor, pinning the terrorists in place!

Once that task was complete, Matt went back into the class room. Matt:"Everybody ok?" Everybody, except for Sota, who recognized him, shuttered with fear at the green glow of Matt's eyes. Sota:"Hey, Matt! I figured that either..." Matt narrowed his eyes slightly to silently tell Sota to shut up. Sota realized that he had said a little too much, and stopped talking. Matt:"Anyway, you guys are safe now. You might want to stay here until I take care of everything. Or, the less safe option, try to make it to a fire exit. Regardless, I'm off." With that, Matt turned around and went towards the staircase. Matt sensed more terrorists on the lower floors, probably aware of the struggle upstairs. Matt used his Klaws to climb down on the bottom of the staircase above, which helped give him to get the upper hand.

Matt got his intended result; the next terrorist he saw, he was able to grab him up and subdue the evil man before he knew what hit him! Matt ripped out a stair rail and used the bars to pin the guy on the bottom of a stair flight. Matt sensed a few more hostages on the second floor, but unlike the third floor, the guards were standing outside the room. Matt:"[Inner] That makes things a lot easier. Time for the direct approach..." With that, Matt bum rushed the four men in the hallway. The students inside the various rooms heard machine gun fire that never ceased! Suddenly, all was quite in the hallway. The door to the room burst open, and the students saw Matt, shot up in about a hundred places. But, the wounds healed up in a flash. Matt:"Everybody ok? Good. Stay here until I finish clearing out the school!" With that, Matt ran back to the staircase, towards the first floor of the school.

On the way down to the first floor, Matt took out two more terrorists on the way down the stairs, and held them in place with stair rail bars as with the previous terrorist on the second floor. When Matt got to the first floor, he discovered something rather odd; there were no class rooms on the first floor, but rather a large lobby, the gym, and a music room. There were students in each location, which was a big problem for Matt, considering the lobby was linked to the other two! Matt:"[Inner] Damn! There's three guys and I've only got two Chains! And, if I transform, I end up not only scaring everybody in the school, but all of the 'normal' world in this dimension will know about the supernatural! Hmm..." Matt looked around through his Chain, and saw that there were no guards around the corner, so he attached his Chain to a nearby pole and shot out into the open, unnoticed.

As luck would have it, Matt also stumbled onto an alternate entrance to the Music Room. Matt:"[Inner] Looks like good luck is on my side today." Matt opened the door slowly, and peeked inside. He saw another group of three terrorists inside. But, Matt's good luck ran out a little; a fourth was standing by the door and ripped Matt inside the room! Terrorist:"Looks like we missed a teacher!" Terrorist 2:"Well, I suppose we'll have to make an example out of him." Matt:"You _don't_ wanna to do that." Terrorist 3:"And why not!" Matt lifted his head showing the terrorists his glowing green eyes! Terrorist 4:"Eya! He's..." Matt extended his **Spikes of Penance**, which in his human form were composed of bone, instead of adamantium. He pierced through the terrorists arms, completely immobilizing them, but Matt didn't do any lethal damage. He did this and a swift roundhouse kick in one motion. The terrorists were all down for the count and Matt's secret was safe. Matt:"You guys alright?" Several students nodded, and Matt said, "Good. Stay here." Matt finished disarming the terrorists before pinning them down with a desk and leaving the room.

Matt peeked out into the lobby and saw that there were still three guys guarding a large group of students. Matt:"[Inner] I've got only one shot at this!" Matt shot his Chain out, which alerted the terrorists. As Matt swung by, he used his other Chain to close line all three of the terrorists! Unfortunately, all this commotion alerted the other five terrorists in the gym! Terrorist 5:"Hey! What's going on out there!" Matt:"Ah, dammit!" The silver lining was that all five of the gym terrorists came to investigate. From there, it was simply an all out brawl between Matt and the terrorists, with a few shots fired. Matt was successful and defeating all of the terrorists, but not before getting shot about fifteen times and a large knife stuck into his back. The sight frightened the Junior High students out of their wits, but when they saw Matt heal, they rejoiced! Matt sent a Dragon Chain into the main office and found a speaker; Matt:"Alright! Everybody out!"

After two hours of agonizing waiting, everyone in Kagome's home was relieved when the updated report came on the TV. TV:"The standoff between the terrorists and the police seems to be screeching to a halt! From the looks of things, there is a ruckus occurring inside the school, and...wait! Students! Students are emerging from the school!" Kagome's family cheered for joy at the release of the students. Eventually, they spotted Sota and Hitomi emerging from the school, and breathed a sigh of relief.

But, it seemed that Matt's identity was about to be blown; Sota and Hitomi happened to be the students that the news crews decided to interview! Reporter:"So, what happened in there? Why did the terrorists suddenly let you go?" Sota:"Well, the terrorists didn't let us go. We were saved!" Reporter:"Saved! By whom!" Hitomi:"Well, I remember Sota seemed to know him! Sota called him 'Matt', and he had glowing green eyes, and finger nails that looked more like claws than nails..." Sota quickly covered up what his girlfriend said; Sota:"I don't really know him. He looked like somebody that I met before, but it wasn't the same guy..." Reporter:"There you have it everyone! A mysterious man supposedly called 'Matt' went in the school and single-handedly dispatched the group of terrorists!"

Suddenly, a big explosion erupted from the doors of the school! Police:"Everyone get back!" Out of the flames, Matt shot out of the building! Reporter:"Oh my! It seems that an explosion has sent someone flying out of the doors of the school! Odds are, that the man won't survive the explosion; he was in the core of the blast! Oh my...!" Matt got back up on his feet, missing his shirt, the bottom half of his pants, and his shoes & socks, but regenerated instantly for all of Tokyo to see! Matt:"Oh...perfect!" Reporters immediately began to swarm around Matt. Reporter:"What happened in there? How did you survive that explosion and what caused it?" Matt:"Not much. I just subdued a bunch of terrorists who don't have enough balls to pick on people their own size! As for the explosion, the terrorists on the lower floor thought it better to commit suicide then be arrested. And to answer the other question..." Matt looked right at the reporter with his glowing green eyes. Matt:"Do I look normal to you?" Reporter:"Well, no..." With that, Matt started to walk away, wanting no more of the media circus.

Reporter:"Hey! Get back here! I'm not finished talking to you!" Matt:"But _I'm_ finished with _you_! The remainder of the terrorists are inside the building, pinned down." With that, Matt extended his Chains and latched on to the school building, and swung off into the distance. Sota and the other students were allowed to go home early, so as not to get involved with all the arrests or clean up. Both Sota and Hitomi headed straight for Kagome's house. That's also where Matt was headed.

Sota and Hitomi arrived a split second after Matt did, and caught him entering Kagome's house. Hitomi let curiosity get the better of her, and ran towards the house. Sota tried to tell her to wait, but she ignored him. When she entered the door, she saw Matt talking to Kagome and Inuyasha. Kagome:"Oh, hey Hitomi..." Sota came in and started to apologize. Hitomi:"Sota, when you told me that your sister's friends were a 'little eccentric', you didn't mention that they could do the impossible! Or that one looks like a dog!"

Sota:"Well, I didn't want to tell you because if everybody else in Tokyo knew about them, the media would never leave us alone! The less people that knew about it the better." Hitomi sighed, then said, "Sota, your secret is safe with me. But, you should've told me sooner!" Sota:"Sorry." Matt:"So, how are you two?" Sota:"Well, we'd be a lot worse if you hadn't've showed up." Matt grinned slightly, then just said, "Don't mention it. Besides, if I hadn't've come, your sister would've _discovered_ a way to kill me!" Sota and Hitomi chuckled, then the two left so Sota could walk her home.

Kagome:"Thanks for helping my little brother. I don't know how to thank you." Matt:"Friends carry no debts...but I suppose I could use a set of clothes..." Kagome laughed, then promised to go buy him a set of sweat clothes. With a grin, Matt thought, "Now that Hitomi promised to keep me and Inuyasha's secret, and those terrorists are in jail and out of everybody's misery, this day just couldn't get any better..." So, when the news came one and replayed the events of earlier, all Matt could do was smile at a job well done and a happy ending!


	5. Unhappy New Years

The next morning, Sota appeared alright from the previous day's events, but whether Sota even knew it or not, he was also traumatized by the event as well. Sota kept his almost permanent happy face, but refused to talk about what happened; the first sign of bad vibes. Kagome even tried to console her brother and try to get him to talk to her, but even then he wouldn't talk. Kagome:"Being held hostage isn't something you can just forget. Why won't he just talk to me? I'm his big sister after all." Inuyasha:"It's probably just a phase. Give him a little time, he'll talk when he's ready." Sango:"Yeah. Kohaku would always hide things from me for a long time before it really, truly bothered him enough to talk. He'll talk when that time comes." With her friends advice, Kagome was put at ease a little. Kagome:"Thanks guys, but I still don't like it. He used to talk to me about everything..."

When Sota got outside, he heard coming from the roof, "So, how are you _really_ holding up?" He looked up to see Matt laying on the roof looking up at the sky. Sota stuttered a little, then kept heading for school. Matt:"[Inner] No. I didn't think you were unscathed..." Since Matt still didn't have a full set of clothes, he thought it best to skip "Hero Time" for the day, and just rested in the sun. Several hours later, Sota returned from his final day of school before Christmas Vacation; it turned out that Dimension 5 was only about five days behind Matt's.

This came as both a great joy and a great distress to Matt; Christmas was always a time of joy, but it was also only five days ago that Matt's entire family was killed. But, Matt decided, perhaps for the best, that he should try to forget the past and enjoy the "here and now". That same day was also the first snow of the season, though snow was somewhat rare where Kagome lived. This snow in particular was a dozy; close to four feet fell in just that day! As a result, Kagome and her family were kind of trapped inside their home for the next day.

Rather that's what would've happened, if they hadn't have had a "human shovel" with them, sleeping near the well. Discovering the snow, Matt transformed and started to use his massive arms to create a path to the doorways of the shrine and the house. Following this, Matt carefully collected snow from the staircase leading up to Kagome's home, all the while looking out for people. Finally, Matt created a titanic snowball and threw it towards the mountain tops behind the Shrine. After his clearing job, Matt knocked on the door to the house. Matt:"Yo! The snow is out of the way!"

After a couple of minutes, Kagome and the others came out. Kagome:"How did you move all that snow? We don't even own a shovel because snow is so rare!" Matt:"Having an extra-wide arm-span helps. Combine that with a little muscle, and you can lift just about anything in mass quantities." Sota:"Hey, thanks for clearing the way, Matt." Matt:"Hey, that's what your four-armed buddy here is for: helping out where he's needed." Suddenly, a snow ball struck him in the face. As Sota ran laughing, Matt said, "You picked the wrong guy to mess with, Sota!" As Matt instantaneously made four snowballs, everyone else joined in. In one swift motion, Matt swiped Miroku, Inuyasha, and Sota, but missed with the fourth. The snow brawl continued for quite some time, until supper was prepared.

The next few days afterward were uneventful, as the snow melted rather quickly. And, because, like some of Japan and most of China, Kagome's family was Buddhist, they didn't fully celebrate Christmas. At the moment, celebrating Christmas wasn't something Matt wanted to do, anyway. So, other than "Hero Time" the only thing that any of them had to look forward to was the up coming New Year's celebration. Part of what was attracting about the celebration was it was the night of the new moon, which meant that Inuyasha would be fully human on that night. Kagome and Inuyasha had planned to go on a walk during the night to watch the jubilation fireworks, then return home to enjoy the party at the Shrine. But, it would seem that "Murphy's Laws" would interfere with this joyous event as well...

After the day of New Year's Eve arrived, all that was left was to wait until close to sunset, so that Kagome and Inuyasha could find a suitable spot to watch the fireworks from and wait for Inuyasha to change into his human state. That's precisely what happened; around 5:30, Inuyasha and Kagome left the shrine to head off to the fireworks location, all by their lonesome, like they wanted. After the twosome walked for a while, they reached their destination spot, a large hill near the foot of the mountain, they settled into a comfortable spot. The two sat leaning up against one another, watching the sunset. Eventually, the two kissed and Inuyasha morphed into his human state.

After a little while, back at the Higurashi residence, Matt also wanted to go to watch the fireworks, felt that it would help to get his mind off what has happened the past few days. Matt:"I'm going to go out and watch the fireworks. It might help take my mind off of what's happened to me the past few days." Shippo:"But, Inuyasha and Kagome want to be alone..." Matt:"I'm not going to invade their privacy. I could find them if I had to, though. Perhaps you'd like to come along?" Miroku:"But, we're hardly dressed for the occasion." Matt:"It's nighttime, and besides, even if you took Kilala, people would only think that the fire on her legs would be part of the display." Sango:"Sure, why not? Besides, I'm rather curious as to what these 'fireworks' are." Matt:"Then, it's settled. Shall we?" With that, the group followed a transformed Matt on Kilala and landed on a rooftop near the center of Tokyo.

Once the group landed on the roof, the fireworks started. The fireworks exploded in rapid succession, lighting up the sky in a colorful display. Over towards the east, Matt could sense Inuyasha and Kagome on the hill. Matt:"[Inner] There they are. If anybody wanted to attack them, Inuyasha would be much less prepared than usual, since he's in his human form. But, he's still powerful enough to take on even an above-average human. I'll just keep them in the back of my mind and enjoy the show..."

This resolution was kept, until a few minutes later. Suddenly, Matt could sense three more souls coming up next to Inuyasha and Kagome. At first, Matt thought nothing of it, but suddenly Inuyasha's life force blanked out, and Kagome's life force started to go in the same direction as the other three! A short time later, Kagome's blanked out as well. These events happened right when the fireworks' grand finale ended, meaning that Matt couldn't transform to go and investigate. Matt:"Something's happened to Inuyasha and Kagome! Stay out of sight and go back to the shrine! I'll check it out!" The others started to protest, but Matt had already taken off in haste.

About a minute later, Inuyasha's life force reappeared. Matt:"Good. That means he was only knocked unconscious!" Inuyasha had managed to pick up the trail of the three hoodlums who'd captured Kagome, and took off in a effort to find them. Matt:"[Inner] Even in his human state, Inuyasha was knocked out for only a minute. He's very determined, the guys that hit him didn't do it right, or both." Eventually, Matt reached the spot where Inuyasha and Kagome were; since he was out of sight of anybody in the city, he transformed to make his search go quicker. Up ahead a few miles, Matt discovered all the souls he'd been looking for; Inuyasha, Kagome, and the three thugs. But, there was also a fourth soul amongst the villains that seemed awfully familiar...

The villains had holed themselves up in an old, abandoned factory up in the mountains. They'd captured Kagome for their "enjoyment"; Inuyasha had something to say about that. The evil men had stripped her down to her underwear while she was unconscious, but she woke up before they could go any further. Kagome struggled violently against the ropes that held her in a standing position, but her struggles were in vain. The ringleader was a huge man, who approached her with a lustful look in his eyes. He started to grope her, as Miroku had been prone to doing, but he did it in a much more unpleasant and unfriendly way. She continued to struggle, attempting to get the evil man to stop, but he wouldn't. All he said was, "Oh, how I've missed the touch of a good woman..."

Suddenly, to Kagome's immense relief, Inuyasha burst through the door leading to another room and sliced the evil violator in the arm with an untransformed, "rusty" Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha:"You picked the _**wrong**_ girl to abduct!" Inuyasha was easily a match for the big guy and his accomplices in his half-demon state, but in his human form, he was quite outnumbered. Inuyasha soon figured this out the hard way; soon, Tetsusaiga was shot from his hand, and the other men ganged up on him. Inuyasha soon found himself fighting against two men, who were holding his arms in place, while the third pounded Inuyasha mercilessly.

Matt landed soon after, and went back to normal so his aura wouldn't attract attention. As Matt listened to the commotion inside, his anger began to grow ever faster... As the men pounded on Inuyasha, Kagome tearfully beseeched the men to stop, but her tears only increased their desire and joy in pummeling the helpless Inuyasha. Throughout his beating, Inuyasha shouted, "If you touch her, I'm gonna cut out your guts, put 'em in a bowl, and feed them to you!" Boss:"Haha...soften him up a bit more, boys. Now, which should we do first? Should we have some 'fun' with our trinket here, or should we finish off our little nuisance?" At this prompt, the man hitting Inuyasha pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the stomach, in an almost certainly fatal spot!

Meanwhile, outside, Matt had finally heard enough; suddenly, everyone inside heard a loud crash as Matt burst through the nearby wall. Matt:"BACK OFF!" Upon his entry, Matt sent out both Dragon Chains; one snapped the wrist of a man holding Inuyasha, while the other whipped the "hitter" solidly across the face. Then, in one swift motion, Matt threw a capsule of golden blood at Inuyasha and sent his right Dragon Chain to the big man, and wrapped him up. Once healed, Inuyasha soundly beat the man who was holding his left arm, then continued has attack by hitting the man who was bitten by Matt's left Chain.

After seemingly disabling the assailants, Inuyasha grabbed Tetsusaiga and went over to cut the ropes that held Kagome captive. Off in the distance, Matt saw the four men get back up with some deadly looking weapons, and pointed them straight at Inuyasha! Without a second thought, Matt leaped in the way of their shots. Boss:"That's the punk that got me arrested two weeks ago! We'll kill him first...let's see you deal with our ultimate weapon, Punk! Fire!"

Apparently, these weren't ordinary weapons; each of the weapons fired a unique energy composed of an element. These included fire, electricity, ice, and, the most potent of all: darkness. Matt blocked the beams by making an "X" with his arms, but the tremendous force behind the beams was pushing him back! After a few moments, Matt extended his Spikes of Penance; the Spikes were endowed with an invisible Light Magic that blocked 25% of Fire, Electricity, and Ice Magic, as well as 50% of Dark Magic. With this slight resistance, Matt was able to fight through the energy beams being shot at him. That is, until the boss ordered, "He's fighting his way through! Turn it up to **full power**!"

With the increase in power, Matt started to be pushed back at a fast rate once again. Inuyasha looked back to see Matt being pushed back, as well as all the skin being burned off of his upper half! Matt extended his Chains again, in an effort to disable the energy blasters. Unfortunately, Matt was pushed 50 feet away and his Chains only reached 30 feet! The remaining skull of Matt's head turned to look back at the people he cared for a great deal, and said to himself, "Alright, **that does it**!" Suddenly, the evil men saw a massive black monster replace an abnormal human! Matt had transformed, and immediately unleashed a blast of Blood Fortress Blades. The Blades went forward and sliced the blasters in half before they dissipated. Now that Matt was transformed, and mad, he was a virtually unstoppable force to be reckoned with!

The four men saw the wounds inflicted upon Matt heal, and decided that a new strategy was required. Figuring that this "monster" was just a costume, they charged Matt all at once. But, they soon figured out not only that the second set of arms was real, but that Matt was also much stronger in this form! He set the four men flying with minuscule effort and followed after them, with flames burning in his eyes!

Outside the factory, Miroku and the others had disobeyed, following Matt to the site. They weren't able to follow close behind, but Kilala and Shippo's combined sniffing power was able to track Matt, Inuyasha, and Kagome's scents to this location. Miroku:"This place looks abandoned. Do you think we're at the right place?" Miroku's question was quickly answered; suddenly all four men came bursting through the wall! Sango:"Does that answer your question, Miroku?" Miroku:"Quite."

Matt was originally going to leave the beating at that, but then he looked back at Inuyasha and Kagome inside. Matt soon realized that although they had only physically harmed Inuyasha, something he could easily take care of, they had violated Kagome; an emotionally and mentally scarring event. In short, she was traumatized like her brother, only on a much deeper scale. As Inuyasha freed Kagome, she started to cry uncontrollably. Kagome:"Hold me, Inuyasha!" Without even needing prompting, Inuyasha held her tighter than he'd ever held her before.

This sight pushed Matt's virtually limitless patience to the limit; Matt's only thought now was to teach these fiends a lesson that they'd never forget! The four men were outside the building, just beyond the knocked down wall. Matt:"**GET THE #%* OVER HERE**!" The men looked up just in time to see all four of Matt's Dragon Chains extending. Each Chain grabbed one of the men by the throat, inflicting a moderate bite wound in the process, and dragged them towards a very pissed off Matt. Everyone looked on, with a slight amount of horror, as Matt punched each man solidly in the face. But, they were _still_ latched onto by Dragon Chains! With only a mild heave, Matt reeling the evil men back in for another slam. This continued two more times; on the fifth, Matt released his Chains and the men came flying forward into this fists. Matt's assault wasn't completely finished yet, though. He ripped a large piece of piping off of the wall, and used it to pin the men in place. Matt pushed the piping far into the ground; so deep that the men couldn't move their arms and barely move their legs.

Once he'd pinned them, Matt loomed over the semiconscious violators. The men tried desperately to free their arms and hands to defend themselves, but they were immobilized. Matt:"If I **ever** hear about you coming near or so much as _looking_ at my friends the wrong way again, I **promise** you..." Matt extended his Mace and held it only an inch or two in front of each man's face. "...I **will** finish what I started!" With that, Matt sheathed his Mace and gave one final cold-clock to each violator, finishing them off.

Soon afterwards, Matt came back to his senses; he hadn't blacked out, but at the same time, he wasn't himself when he attacked the men, with a rage that border-lined on berserker. Matt looked down with a slight amount of bewilderment and regret, but mostly, he looked around himself. When he saw his friends looking at him with a horrified look, Matt took two steps away in the opposite direction, then flew off into the night, before any of them could say anything.

Miroku and Sango landed next to Inuyasha and Kagome; Kagome was still crying almost uncontrollably. Miroku:"What do you suppose that was about? Him just leaving like that?" Sango:"Or what about him going absolutely berserk on those guys...not that they didn't deserve it." Inuyasha:"The only explanation that I can think of for either question is, well, everybody has a dark side. For some, it takes a particular trigger to unleash it, others can do it when they need to... I guess he is ashamed that we saw his..." Shippo:"Where do you think he flew off to?" Miroku:"Perhaps he went back to the Higurashi Shrine." In between tears, Kagome said, "We...should...call...the police." Fortunately, there was a phone on the premises and after Kagome dialed the Tokyo equivalent of "911", it was put upon Miroku to explain what had happened.

A few minutes later, the police arrived; it took twenty men to lift the piping that held the violators prisoner out of the ground! Unfortunately, so did the news crews. Their first target for interview was Kagome, whom Inuyasha had given his Kimono top to cover up with. Even this long after she'd been saved, Kagome still couldn't stop crying, although it was now much more under control. Inuyasha held the interviewers at bay, using forceful threats to do it. Eventually, they were allowed to leave and given a police escort back to the Shrine; Miroku and the others had already left on Kilala.

Meanwhile...Matt had indeed flown back to the Shrine, but he scoured Tokyo briefly for trouble before doing so; enough time had passed that the news began covering what had happened in the factory...much to Matt's discomfort. When he arrived at the Higurashi Shrine, he walked in to see Kagome's mother and grandpa talking in the kitchen. Grandpa:"Both children suffering traumas in only a few days time. None of these kinds of events ever occurred before that friend of Kagome's showed up. I'll bet he's connected with all of this somehow." Mom:"Don't say that! Yes, these kinds of events were extremely unusual before he came, but they still _are_ very rare! You can't blame this on him."

Matt walked in during what Grandpa was saying. All he could do was stand back, flabbergasted at such a harsh accusation; at the moment, there was nothing else in the world that could have been worse to hear. Before Kagome's mother could say something to take back what her father said, Matt solemnly stormed out of the home. He climbed up on the roof the think, reflecting on what had been said about him. Matt:"[Inner] What if he's right? What if all that's happened is happening because I'm here? But, in order for that to be right, then, who would know that I'm here? Who could possibly want to get back at me in some place that I've never even been to?" Matt spent the next several hours pondering on this, and eventually, with some difficulty, fell asleep gazing at the stars.

Eventually, the others made it back to the Shrine, rather surprised to see the battle-worn hero asleep on the roof. Sango:"I must admit that I'm rather surprised at how soundly he's sleeping with all that happened tonight." On a nearby tree, the monk/slayer couple looked up to see the other significant couple in a tree together. Inuyasha was lying on his back leaning up against the trunk, while Kagome laid on him and used his Kimono as a blanket. Kagome fell completely asleep in only a few seconds; Inuyasha, on the other hand, stayed wide awake for several more minutes, looking for any kind of trouble afoot. As she fell asleep, Inuyasha whispered into Kagome's ear, "As long as you're in my arms, nothing will ever harm you..." With that, Inuyasha went to sleep himself.

Shippo:"I guess, all things considered, things turned out alright." Miroku:"I don't think that things will be 'alright' for a while yet; being kidnaped is a serious trauma. But, things are back to normal for the moment, so I suppose we should count our blessings that nothing worse happened and turn in the for the night. Shall we?" The others agreed and went into the Shrine to get some much needed rest. At long last, the horrific day had come to an end.

Close to dawn, though, something happened, though not catastrophic; during the night, Matt had been having a nightmare. The dream was he was standing in the middle of a ring of fire and outside the ring was all the people he cared about; his family on one side, his friends on another. Try as he might, Matt couldn't reach either group because the walls would increase in heat, so much that the skin on his arms would be burned off to the bone. Matt transformed to guard against the flames, but then the flames transformed into every enemy that he'd ever faced; the warden Degenhardt, Malice, Shao Kahn, Giga Bowser, and Giga Garm all stood in his path. Further more, the original ring of flames split in two and blocked off the two different groups. Matt fought his enemies with all of his might, but he couldn't break through the combined forces. As he looked on, Matt saw that beyond the walls of fire, the groups began to depart, leaving him deserted...

As dawn broke, Inuyasha was woken by a roar that came from nearby; at dawn he regained his demonic powers, and consequently, his animal-keen hearing and smell. The roar was Matt screaming in mental anguish, coming out in the sound of Bowser's booming growl. As he dreamt, Matt fell off the roof; when he landed, he was also punched in the dream. Matt transformed for real, changing the roar into a kind of a battle-cry. As he did, he woke up and slammed the ground with all four fists. As a result, a large crater formed and produced a shockwave. Inuyasha was stunned at the display, but more stunned when he saw the massive force of justice break down and cry. Matt started to shout out, as if screaming to the whole world, "WHY! Why can I protect the entire world, people I don't even know, but I can't protect those I care about! Even with these powers, I couldn't protect my family or my friends from that bastard, and now I let down those I care about most _again_!" From there, all that came were tears and weeps.

Matt's roar had not only woken up Inuyasha, but also all the others in the group. Kagome:"Wha...what's going on, Inuyasha?" Inuyasha:"I think its pretty safe to say that Matt was much more affected by the past day's events then he let on. Not only that, I think I discovered that trigger for his dark side: the people he cares about being hurt." Kagome:"That probably brought back a lot of memories he wanted to forget as well..." Inuyasha:"Hey, by the way, how are you holding up after yesterday?" Kagome:"Well, I'd be lying if I said I got out of that unaffected, but I think I'll be fine. Besides, 'As long as I'm in your arms, nothing can hurt me.' Isn't that right, Inuyasha?" Inuyasha smiled widely, hugged Kagome tightly, and said, "Yeah. As long as I live, I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe. That's a promise."

After a quick kiss, the couple went over to their emotionally wounded friend. Inuyasha:"You're not the only one who fails, you know. There have been multiple times when I was unable to protect Miroku and Sango, even Shippo, that I've wished I'd been able to. When I would fail to protect Kagome, I would curse myself for hours, even _after_ I was able to save her again. Look, I'm not good at the whole 'moral support' thing, but you've got friends when you need 'em." Kagome:"Yes. It's hard, but you have to try to forgive yourself for the past, but don't forget about the people whom you cared for in the past." During the conversation, Matt's tears began to slow and dry up. Matt:"You don't have _any_ idea how much I needed to hear that. Thanks." Inuyasha:"Sure. I owed you one, anyway, for helping me save Kagome again." With the smile the group had grown to be accustomed to, Matt sighed at Inuyasha and said, "Inuyasha, how many times to I have to tell you: friends carry no debts." So, with several crises averted in one day, the group was ready to move forward with their lives, one day at a time.

* * *

><p>*Author's Note*<p>

All of the villains that appeared in the dream sequence have appeared in earlier stories that I've written. Will they be seen again? You'll just have to read on to find out. :)


	6. Blood Ties

A few more days passed and, slowly, everybody began to get over their recent trails. In truth, Matt hadn't even needed to use any "Hero Time" things had gotten so calm. Some hard decisions were being made about where and when the anticipated wedding was to be. Or, perhaps, if the wedding would be a double wedding... But, these were issues that couldn't be solved in the near future, so they were let go temporarily.

Approximately two weeks after Kagome's horrible incident, a late night news report happened across the TV that struck Matt rather hard. TV:"Over the past few days, a number of missing person reports have been flooding the police department. As the numbers started, they grew by almost double the previous night's count." Matt:"[Inner] I hope that doesn't mean what I think it does... [Audible] I'm going to head out for a while." Kagome:"Huh? It's almost midnight!" Matt:"Perfect time to catch a thug in the act..."

Matt swung into the center of Tokyo, then started to go through every dark alley he could find. All the while, he pretended to be running scared. Soon, Matt's ploy ended up working; he sensed a soul approaching from behind him at great speed. Soon, the soul was upon him, but Matt instantly did a spinning roundhouse kick, sending the person away. That's when Matt saw a pair of glowing red eyes! Matt:"[Inner] Hey! That's a vampire! But, I'm not supposed to be able to see them unless I'm in my transformed state! Hmm...perhaps when my powers peaked out, I gained the ability to see the undead in my human state _and_ in my Brawn state!" Vampire:"A mere human tries to defy me? You will make a most satisfying midnight snack!" Matt:"I'm not your average human..." With that, Matt transformed his nails into Koopa Klaws and made his eyes go green again, prepared to fight with the vampire in front of him!

Vampire:"Trying to frighten me with false eyes? Pathetic." The vampire charged, but Matt slashed him in the stomach. To the vampire's immense surprise, the wound remained, despite his vampiric healing! Vampire:"How? How can you, _a human_, injure _me_, a vampire! Unless...oh no!" Matt:"I didn't originally come here to _hunt_, but if you don't tell me where the humans that went missing are, then I'm going to have to Klaw your head off!" Vampire:"Ha! As if! The only Hunter Dad said to be afraid of was the one with metal claws, and you're not him!" Matt:"[Inner] Dad? The only vampire I ever recall surviving a confrontation with me and the Hunters was...oh no! Degenhardt! But, what the hell is _he_ doing in _Tokyo_?"

Matt didn't let on that he knew the identity of "Dad", and continued his battle with the vampire. The vampire got in a few good claw slashes, leaving deep wounds and cuts in Matt's clothing, but Matt ended up winning the battle. As the vampire prepared another slash, Matt ducked underneath and slashed at the vampire's torso with his Klaws. After a few slashes, the vampire slumped to his knees. Matt:"Now, where are the humans!" Vampire:"Ha. I'm never saying anything to the likes of you, _Hunter_!" Matt:"Then may God have mercy on your soul and forgive the misdeeds you've done. Say hello to Nathaniel Arkady's cubs for me when you see them in Hell!" With a powerful smack, Matt ended the vampire's tortured existence. The body disintegrated into dust, just as they'd done in the past at Ashcroft. Matt:"That's one less vampire that this world has to deal with, but if my theory about Degenhardt returning is true, then this guy was only one of many!"

Matt left the scene and started to use his Soul Sense, but was unable to track down the humans. Matt:"That can only mean one of two things: Degenhardt has already slain the humans for an unknown purpose, or he's placed them out of my range. Either way, I better get back to the Shrine; it's going on 3:00 AM! I'll have to tell the others about these developments eventually, but I suppose for now, I'd best leave the hunting to myself; I can't have another old enemy screwing up life for my friends!" With that, Matt swung his way back to the Higurashi Shrine. Matt arrived at almost 3:30 AM, so he went straight to bed, not wanting to disturb his friends' sleep.

The next morning, Matt was questioned as to his findings the previous night. But, Matt denied having seeing or fighting with a vampire or even an ordinary thug. Matt:"[Inner] I can't let them know that vampires are roaming around Tokyo! I'll wait until at least after tonight; I'll see if I can tail a vampire back to the holding area, if such a place exists." The hours leading into the evening past slowly, but eventually, night fell. Matt:"I'm going to go out again. Perhaps I'll find something tonight." Inuyasha:"You want me to come along? I can help you sniff around." Matt:"Thanks for the offer, but I think one person will draw a lot less attention than two."

With that, Matt was off. In a few minutes, Matt was in the middle of Tokyo, waiting for a vampire to strike. Matt waited for several, long hours. Just when Matt was about to dose off on a rooftop, opportunity sprung up. It was close to midnight when another one of Degenhardt's pawns struck. It grabbed up a human and started to drag him away from the city. Matt:"Good. He's playing right into my hands. All I have to do is follow that vampire, and it'll lead me to the rest of the humans!" The vampire was fast, almost faster than Matt could keep up with in his human state; if he transformed, his gig would be up. The further that Matt got from Tokyo, the better that Matt could sense the holding area; there were hundreds of people inside the holding area! Matt:"[Inner] Good. I can sense a huge number of people up ahead. That means that Degenhardt hasn't slain all of them at least."

After almost an hour, Matt watched the vampire land on a rooftop, 110 miles from the center of Tokyo. The vampire was about to enter through a skylight; just before it opened up the skylight, Matt landed on the roof next to it and snapped the undead monster's neck, before it could react! Matt watched as the body disintegrated into dust. Matt:"[Inner] That's strange. I've never been able to kill a vampire by snapping its neck before. Even if I _am_ a Hunter, vampires still require a bit more than that to kill... Anyway, back to the matter at hand..."

With that thought, Matt looked in through the skylight. Most of the lights inside were off, so visibility was limited. However, Matt was still able to see a huge multitude of people. On man in particular caught Matt's eye; he appeared to be middle-aged with a lightly grown beard. He also had some blood on his face, apparently from a struggle that he'd lost. All of the other captives had no wounds on their faces or bodies at all... Matt also saw what he wished he hadn't...Degenhardt. Matt:"[Inner] So, it's true; he did survive our encounter. That's right...the Shadowlands is the other side of the Hole. Degenhardt was sucked inside and now he's found his way out! Dammit! First Giga Bowser and now Degenhardt. Don't any of my enemies stay dead anymore!"

In amongst the crowd, Matt also saw several other vampires and vampresses. Matt:"Those are probably Degenhardt's children. Speaking of whom..." Matt extended his Koopa Klaws as a vampire tried to jump him. The rooftop struggle alerted everybody inside. Matt:"[Inner] Well, so much for the stealthy approach..." With that, Matt threw the vampire through the skylight, raining glass and debris into the room. Matt:"That's my exit cue!"

Matt started to swing faster than he'd ever swung before back into Tokyo, and thus the sanctuary of the Higurashi Shrine. He'd gotten a big head start and started to wonder why the vampires weren't trying to follow him or kill him. In the holding area, Degenhardt said to his children, "Follow that human and bring him back to me." Soon, Matt started to feel presences behind him, and realized that the vampires were now giving chase. Matt sent his unused Chain back and swatted a few down, keeping them at bay for a short time. It was another hour later when Matt reached Tokyo, and twenty more minutes until Matt was able to reach the Shrine. The entire time, Matt was fighting to keep the vampires at bay; Matt was trying to avoid transforming just yet because he didn't want Degenhardt to know that "Hero" was back in town.

Finally, though, Matt was able to reach the Shrine. Upon doing so, the vampires were struck by an invisible force! Matt:"[Inner] Thank God! Miroku put up a barrier to keep us safe from demons, even though Kagome said that none exist in modern times. I'm glad that he didn't listen to her. I'm safe from the vampires as long as I stay here, but I guess I'm going to have to face Degenhardt sooner or later to save those people. In the meantime, I should just count my blessings." After another 3:00 night, Matt departed into his sleeping quarters and dosed off. As soon as his children were deflected by the barrier, Degenhardt teleported them back to his presence. Degenhardt:"It would seem that the human is full of some unexpected surprises. No matter. Take him by surprise when he least expects it and kill anybody who gets in your way!"

The next morning, Matt woke up rather late; he was rather exhausted from his romp across the Japanese countryside and the rooftops of Tokyo. The others were also suspicious about what had happened, since Matt had quite a few slash marks in his shirt. Matt put off all questions until about noon. No matter how much they asked, Matt refused to get his friends involved with his Hunter business.

Later in the morning, Matt saw Kagome, Sota, and Inuyasha staring at a picture. Kagome sighed, "Oh, I wish that Dad were still around to see the wedding." Inuyasha:"What do you mean 'still around'?" Kagome:"About thirteen years ago, my dad just went missing one day. I was already off at school and he was at work. The last thing I remember him saying to me was 'Good night'." Matt heard it all and went over to offer his condolences, then he saw the picture; Matt:"[Inner] Huh? That guy from last night, the one who was injured, there was something weird about him. He looks like the guy in this picture, just with a beard and a bloody face! That guy is Kagome's dad! I'm sure of it!"

Unfortunately, Matt's hopes of keeping the others uninvolved were done away with at 12:00 noon; Matt heard footsteps on the roof! Matt:"Kagome! Your grandfather is a collector of religious and supernatural artifacts, right!" Kagome:"Uh, yeah. Why?" Matt:"Does he happen to have any crucifixes?" Kagome:"Uh, I'm not sure." Grandfather:"[Entering the room] They are from that American religion, correct? Yes, I believe I have a couple. I think that they are in the storehouse outside." Matt:"I was afraid of that. You guys stay inside." Sota:"Huh? Why?" Matt:"Just trust me!" As Matt shouted this, his eyes flashed green. Sota immediately knew that something was afoot at the flashing glare.

Matt went outside and looked on the roof, to see several vampires on the roof! Matt:"[Inner] How are those vampires surviving in the sunlight! Vampires die instantly from sunlight! Unless...they're only _half_ vampire! The human blood in them gives them immunity to the sun's deadly rays!" Matt ran as fast as he could towards the storehouse. He reached it in only a matter of seconds, and started to rummage through the storehouse. The vampires jumped Matt from behind as he was searching. Matt extended his Spikes of Penance and pierced one of the vampires, causing it to disperse into dust. Matt slammed the others out of the way and continued to search. Finally, Matt managed to find two crucifixes.

At about the same time, Kagome, Sota, and Inuyasha stepped outside. Kagome:"Hey, what's going on?" The vampires instantly turned their sights to them and charged towards them! Immediately, Matt threw one of the crucifixes he found. It reached the threesome before the vampires, and forced them to stop in their tracks. The vampires jumped to the top of the house and growled with fury. Matt:"Kagome. Can you tell that those people aren't human? Can you see the red eyes and long fangs in their mouths?" Kagome:"Yes, I can." Inuyasha:"So can I." Sota:"What are you talking about, they look like normal people to me!" Matt:"Precisely. Inuyasha's being a demon and Kagome's spiritual powers give them the Second Sight that a Hunter possesses."

Matt transformed and extended his Adamantium Mace. The vampires all shrieked in immense fear! Vampire:"It's him! The Hunter with metal claws! Run!" Matt:"Kagome, you have Second Sight, and so does your father!" With that, Matt flew off in pursuit of the vampires, leaving Kagome to shout after him, "My father! What do you know about my father!" After about twenty minutes, Matt was back at the holding area where Degenhardt was holding the humans. Vampress:"Father! We..." A crash through the wall stopped them short. The aura from Matt's Dragon's Soul lit up the almost lightless room. Matt re-extended his Adamantium Mace and said, "Hello, Degenhardt. Long time, no see!"

Degenhardt:"There's another Hunter with steel claws! You are not the same monster that had me thrown into the Hole years ago!" Matt:"Actually, I _am_ that same monster. But, unlike you, _I've_ gotten stronger since our last encounter!" Suddenly, all of Degenhardt's children jumped Matt for his insult, and paid for it dearly. By extending all four of his Dragon Chains and spinning in a circle, Matt simultaneously killed all of his foes, leaving only Degenhardt remaining. Matt:"You were always a coward, Degenhardt. Using others to do your dirty work, even your own half-vampire children!"

Degenhardt growled and transformed into his gigantic form. He charged at Matt, but he rammed Degenhardt with a Double Two-handed Fist, sending him sailing across the warehouse he'd holed up in. Matt:"I already told you, Degenhardt! I'm stronger, more agile, and less vulnerable than you remember! This time, I'm going to make sure that you go to Hell where you belong!" Degenhardt prepared his Condensed Radiation Blast, but didn't aim it at Matt; he aimed it at the innocent bystanders! The one in particular he aimed for was Kagome's father! Instinctively, Matt stood in the beam's path and blocked it with his Mace. He was blown back by the force, and his Mace was severely damaged, but the bystanders were safe. Soon, the Mace healed itself and Matt was ready to fight Degenhardt again.

Degenhardt:"So, it seems that the metal your claws are made of is indestructible. But, tell me, why is it that you hold other people in higher regard than yourself? Is it because you're a Hunter or perhaps you feel that you are worthless for failing to do something elsewhere!" Suddenly infuriated, Matt flew straight at Degenhardt and smashed him through the wall and into direct sunlight! As Degenhardt shrieked with pain, Matt said, "I hold other people in higher regard to myself because that's what Heroes do! And now, let me ask _you_ a question, Degenhardt! You hide in darkness and shun the sunlight! Why? Does it burn your pale and putrid skin!"

Degenhardt morphed back into his human state and tried to escape Matt's gargantuan grip. Matt suddenly returned Degenhardt into the shadows of the building. Matt:"Before I send you to fry, I just want to know how you knew I was here! Why did you bring my friends into this to get back at me, instead of trying to kill me first hand! You've got no Hole to escape into this time, Degenhardt! Answer me!"

Degenhardt chuckled weakly; Degenhardt:"It wasn't you I was after...I was after the children of that Hunter in there. I intended for them to be tortured and killed, but you interfered, and now I know why. So, go ahead Hunter. Indeed, I have no Hole to escape to this time; send me to the afterlife where I belong and allow me to be in relative peace. Let me see my _own_ family again." Matt:"Previously, we were mortal enemies. Now, I know what it's like to lose one's entire family. I realize why you went to such desperate measures back then. Though, I still don't approve of opening the Hole and bringing back the dead, the motives are now much more clear. May God forgive you of your sins and allow you to see your family in the afterlife. Rest in peace, Degenhardt!" With that, Matt hurled Degenhardt back out into the sun, and watched him burn into ashes.

Matt returned to the crowd of people. Matt:"Everyone, you're free now. Return to your homes and your families." Now that they were free from Degenhardt, all the people that were captured by him fled for their homes; except for one. It was the man who had been wounded earlier. Matt:"Tell me, sir. Your last name wouldn't happen to be 'Higurashi', would it?" Man:"Hmm. I haven't been called by that name in such a long time. For the past thirteen years, I was called 'Visionary', that being my Creed. I am rather ashamed of it, but when I discovered my second sight, I abandoned my family, to try to protect them from the supernatural. Alas, that plan went aerie; Degenhardt hired those men to attack Sota's school, and also those men to...violate my daughter. I tried to stop him, but I'm not as young as I used to be; Degenhardt effortlessly dispatched me in battle, but spared my life for reasons unknown."

Matt:"Your daughter and her _fiancé_ would be very happy to know you feel that way." Man:"My daughter is getting married? So soon! What about Sota _Jr_?" Matt:"Sota's a junior? Well, that's news to me. He's doing fine; he has a girlfriend that he's had since third grade. He'll be happy to see you as well. I'll take you back to the Shrine with me, but only if you feel that you can face your family." Sota Sr.:"If I don't go back now, I'll never be able to go. The Hunting business is over for me, I fear that I've out grown my prime. Take me to my home; I so need to see my family again."

On the way back to the Shrine, Matt spoke to Sota Sr. again. Matt:"Kagome has Second Sight as well. Her boyfriend is half-demon and the two of them hunt demons on a regular basis. So, in a way, she, too, is in the Hunting business; she'll understand what was going through your mind." Sota Sr.:"I hope so..." A short time later, Matt landed back at the Shrine. Everybody had gone back inside, following Matt's advice and placing the crucifixes against two separate doorways.

Suddenly, everybody heard from outside, "Hey, everybody!" Everyone went outside to see Matt standing there. Matt:"Kagome..." She stepped forward with curiosity; Matt:"...I have something here that I would like you to consider as an advance wedding gift..." With that, Matt moved aside and everybody saw the wounded man standing behind him. Matt:"May I introduce to everyone Sota Higurashi Senior!" Kagome:"...Dad!" Sota Sr.:"Aye, Kagome. I was saved by your friend here. We have much to discuss..." In the meantime, all Kagome, Sota, and Kagome's mother did was hug the man they'd all missed for quite some time.

Shortly afterward, the group of four went inside the Shrine to talk. When the others started to follow, Inuyasha said, "Give them space. They need to have this talk." Matt was the only one who hadn't tried to go back inside, but Inuyasha turned towards him anyway. Inuyasha:"You never cease to amaze me, Matt. Thank you, for making Kagome happy again." Matt changed back to normal, and replied, "No problem. It's the least I could do, anyway." Inuyasha:"Wasn't it _you_ who said, 'Friends carry no debts.'?" Matt:"Yes, but even if I never had to repay it, I owe the lot of you, Kagome and Inuyasha especially, more than I could ever hope to repay. When I first came to this world, I was a broken person, having almost no purpose but to defend the weak, without placing myself in the equation. Now, thanks to you, I'm beginning to heal wounds that even my Healing Factor could never hope to mend; emotional scars. You guys gave my life purpose again, and for that, I'm eternally grateful." Inuyasha:"Now, don't get all mushy on me, Matt. Remember, you said it yourself, 'Friends carry no debts.'!" Inuyasha crossed his arms and walked away, but Matt knew that was how Inuyasha showed that he cared. Armed with this knowledge, a perfect Hunting day was completed in the most perfect way possible!

* * *

><p>*Author's Note*<p>

In case anybody didn't know, Degenhardt is from the "Hunter the Reckoning" video game, released for Gamecube and X-Box.


	7. Changing The Past

A few days past since Degenhardt's permanent defeat. Over those days, Kagome's family was reunited in every sense of the word; Kagome's father helped out around the shrine, and the family got closer overall. In addition, Kagome introduced her father to Inuyasha and her other friends. To her immense pleasure, he approved of them, and give his blessing for her wedding to the half-demon! Alas, though he didn't want to spool the glorious moment, Inuyasha had some bad news. Inuyasha:"Kagome...I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but we'd better go back to my world soon. We still need to destroy Naraku before we can even think about being happy, in _either_ world." Miroku:"Yes, I agree with Inuyasha. If Naraku were to figure out how the two of you travel between the time periods, he could use the completed Sacred Jewel to warp to this time period." Sango:"That would be disastrous, in more than one way. Naraku would destroy everything in his path, and worse still, your 'normal' world would know about the supernatural."

Matt:"It's a bit late for the latter, thanks to Degenhardt. But, your friends are right Kagome. And, even if Naraku doesn't, a certain tyrant with a gigantic grudge against me _**would**_ try to come here. Even if his reason _was _only to try to fight me again, Giga Bowser would come, killing everyone and everything in his path until he found me. Men, women, children, pets, it wouldn't matter. Giga Bowser is a soulless monster who only desires power, much like Naraku himself; that made Giga Bowser the perfect servant. Although, knowing him, Giga Bowser will eventually turn on Naraku. Whether he would be the victor in the ensuing battle, I can't say. The point is, we need to take out _both_ of those scum before peace, or a certain long-awaited wedding, can come to fruition. The more we wait, the more people that will die in Inuyasha's world and the stronger the two will become!" Kagome realized that everyone was right. So, she asked everyone to wish her luck, then the group of six climbed into Matt's Super Truck and warped back to Dimension 5!

They all returned to Kaede's village to find that, for the most part, it was unaffected by any trouble. There was but one house that was destroyed; unfortunately, it was Kaede's house! Sango:"That's Kaede's house! Naraku and that monster must've done this!" Matt:"Her house my have been destroyed, but she is still quite alive. It would seem that Naraku and Giga Bowser missed her. What does surprise me, though, is that the rest of the village wasn't destroyed as well." Inuyasha:"You're right. Naraku usually wouldn't hold back when he made up his mind to destroy something." Miroku:"It would seem that the single house being destroyed is the laying of a trap. I sense a huge demonic aura nearby." Kagome:"It's him! That's Naraku!" Sango:"Alright! Kilala, let's go!"

Within minutes, they were out of the village and in a dense forest, much further away than where the werewolves attacked. When they entered the core of the forest, they landed to find both Naraku and Giga Bowser waiting for them! GB:"It seems that they've taken the bait, Naraku! I figured that destroying the house of the priestess would anger them into finding us, and it turns out that I was right. But, I only _really_ care about one of you!" Naraku:"There will be no escape for any of you this time! You all know that you cannot kill me unless you strike down my heart and you'll never find it before I am able to exterminate you and at last rule over this pathetic land!"

Matt:"Don't get too cocky, Naraku! I warned you before that I can sense any of your incarnations as long as they are within 100 mile of me! I don't know which one it is, but one of your incarnations is 100 miles due west of here!" Naraku's evil, brazen grin suddenly changed to a fearful expression! Matt:"Judging by the look on your face, I'd say it was the exact one we need to finally put you out of the world's misery. You guys think you can handle these two on your own?" Inuyasha:"Damn right! That monster, Giga whatever, might be big but he doesn't look so tough to me! And Naraku, all he ever does is hide behind his barrier! But even that doesn't protect him anymore!" Matt:"Good. I'll see about taking out the heart and you five hold off Naraku and Giga Bowser until I get back!" With that, Matt transformed and flew off towards a western forest.

Once he was gone, Naraku started to laugh evilly. Naraku:"Pitiful fool! I knew that if I purposely left my heart exposed, he would be the one to go! I placed my heart in the Forest of Sorrow! Your friend might appear fearless, Inuyasha, but everyone has a fear; the aura that surrounds the Forest of Sorrow will place him in a nightmarish world, completely consumed by his fear! Hahahahaha! Your four-armed 'Guardian' will be scared to death in minutes!" Inuyasha:"[Inner] I remember that place! Our greatest fears came alive, but we managed to escape with each other's console. I just hope that Matt will be able to handle this on his own..."

It took Matt a solid twenty minutes to travel to the depicted forest, since it was almost 100 miles away. Matt:"[Inner] This is the place. I can feel the soul of Naraku's incarnation down in that forest. Yet...why do I have a really bad feeling about this?" Matt landed, and immediately, he started to feel terrible pain in his mind. Soon, Matt started to be enveloped by black roots and light! Matt:"Hey, what the hell is going on?" Suddenly, Matt was back in his own world in his normal state. Matt:"Hey, what the...?" Matt's pain suddenly subsided, and he was surrounded by all of his family and friends!

Matt:"There's something wrong here..." In a flash, the Forest of Sorrow changed the peaceful dream, into a horrid nightmare; the firebombing of his home was replayed before his eyes! But, this time, the flames and explosions didn't hurt him at all or even cause him to move! The power of the Forest of Sorrow replayed the event as if Matt was completely immortal and invulnerable! To top it off, when he emerged from the rubble, there wasn't a single person around! Matt:"Oh my God! What happened! A nuclear holocaust!" Suddenly, Matt heard an unfamiliar voice coming from the wind saying, "How does it feel? To be completely immortal, yet have no one to share your eternity with! No family, no friends, no animals, no companions whatsoever! All that power, but no one to use it for, no purpose to it. It's scary to be all alone, isn't it?"

Within the blob of blackness that enveloped him, Matt could be heard ceaselessly roaring in pain and fear. The Forest of Sorrow's power was indeed potent. It even began to make Matt forget that he had friends outside of the forest in need of his aid. Matt struggled inside the blob to collect his thoughts; Matt:"Wait! Aaahhhh! I was just inside a forest! Aaaaahhhh God!" He looked around in his dream world, finding the skies black and the ground bare. However, Matt's will to protect others very slowly began to help him regain his thoughts; although thinking caused him great pain because of the Forest of Sorrow.

Matt:"I've had..aaah...help before! I defeated a tyrant called Malice...ahhhhhh! There was...an ice-monster next to me during the battle...ahh! And...what about...aaaahhh...Degenhardt! The **Hunters**...needed my help! And I was outside of this realm I'm in now...battling werewolves. I saved two people...ahhhhhhhhhhh! I'd lost hope before, and one of them said to me, 'You've got...ahhhh...friends when you need them!'" Suddenly, the pain from the Forest of Sorrow demonic aura began to subside; Matt:"I do have a purpose! I don't live in this realm! I do have friends, and they need my help! AAAAAHHHH!"

Matt struggled valiantly against the demonic power that held him in a constant state of fear. As Moriamaru watched with glee at the suffering of the hero, it also began to notice light piercing through the blob! The blob disappeared and it saw the black roots which held Matt in place. Moriamaru watched as the roots began to crack under the massive force placed upon it! Soon, Matt broke through the roots and roared as one final burst of pain left his body! Matt looked straight at Moriamaru and shouted, "This demonic forest can't protect you anymore, Moriamaru! I told my _**friends**_ Inuyasha and Kagome that I'd kill Naraku's heart, and it's soul is inside you! And when I make a promise...[Extends Mace]...I try to keep it!" With his trails against his inner fears over, Matt charged at the task at hand: slaying Moriamaru, the vessel of Naraku's heart!

_Back at the other battlefield_...Naraku:"I suppose you all remember Moriamaru?" Inuyasha:"The old vessel for your heart!" Naraku:"Your memory is better than I expected, Inuyasha. Yes, Moriamaru was at one time the vessel of my precious heart, but then he betrayed me and I was forced to absorb him back into me from the inside of his body. However, when your mysterious friend appeared, I decided that it was time to separate myself from my heart again, so I revived Moriamaru to his fullest! I doubt that even your muscle-bound ally will be able to penetrate the **Adamant Shards** I restored to his chest! And those are all thanks to you, Inuyasha!" "I think you are _greatly_ underestimating our friend, Naraku! Or did you forget that he was able to withstand my Windtunnel _and_ was able to penetrate your barrier!" Miroku taunted Naraku. Naraku frowned slightly, but his evil grin still remained for the most part. Naraku:"And so what if he was able to accomplish such a feat? Adamant is virtually impenetrable, and even if he's able to accomplish that, Moriamaru can regenerate just as I can. Now, Miroku, I suggest you stop talking about a deadman and worry about the matter at hand." GB:"Like what the two most evil bastards ever concocted are going to do to the five of you!"

Moriamaru and Matt started to duke it out in the Forest of Sorrow. Moriamaru's chest was a solid plate of Adamant, and tentacles were swarming off of his body. Matt was still the faster of the two, however, and got in the first strike; Matt slammed Moriamaru's armor plated stomach. The force of the blow didn't so much as dent the Adamant, nor Matt's adamantium bones, but both combatants felt pain from the strike. Matt:"[Inner] Ow, son of a bitch! His torso is completely covered in Adamant, the strongest jewel in Inuyasha's world. Hey, wait a minute! My bones didn't falter; that means that Adamant and adamantium are just as durable as one another! Unfortunately, that also means that my Mace can't penetrate his torso, at least not without a _hell_ of a lot of force behind the attack! I need someway to weaken that plate of armor...I got it!"

With that, Matt uppercutted Moriamaru and sent him sailing above the forest. Moriamaru:"Impressive strength. I must admit, you have more physical strength than even Naraku and I could hope to match combined, but...you still can't win. My armor is impenetrable and any demonic blast you fire will..." He was cut short by a cold-clock that send the evil demon spawn flying! Moriamaru stopped himself in midair, but each time he did, Matt was right there to slug him again! Matt:"[Inner] If I can force him back to the others, then Kagome's Sacred Arrows can purify the Adamant on his torso and I can pierce through it!"

Meanwhile, Inuyasha and the others battled against Naraku and Giga Bowser. Sango launched Hiraikotsu at Giga Bowser, but his thick skin and resilient body repelled the attack almost effortlessly. Sango:"He repelled my Hiraikotsu and it didn't even leave a scratch!" Miroku:"Then let's see how he likes Sutra!" Those, also, had absolutely no effect on Giga Bowser. GB:"Hahahahahahahahaha! Don't you fools realize that I'm _not_ a demon! Your Sutra and demonic weapons won't affect me like they do Naraku! Now, let me show you how a _true_ monster battles!" Giga Bowser charged, but everybody got out of the way of the huge, slow tyrant. Inuyasha unleashed the Adamant Barrage, but the shards from the blast only grazed Giga Bowser. He had hundreds of cuts, but he otherwise had no serious injuries!

GB:"I've got to hand it to ya, you insignificant pest! That attack actually grazed me!" As Giga Bowser charged, Naraku watched with glee as the gigantic monster fought off his enemies. Kagome pulled out all the stops and unwrapped a sacred bow that Kikyo had found on Mount Asuza and gave to her with her dying breath; the bow combined with her already potent Sacred Arrows, would be a deadly force of good. Inuyasha tried his Adamant Barrage again, but this time he combined it with his Backlash Wave; Inuyasha:"Adamant Backlash Wave!" As the blast surged towards Giga Bowser, Kagome fired a Sacred Arrow into the mix. This crated the ultimate concussive combo of the twosome: the Sacred Adamant Backlash Wave! From within the ensuing whirlpools of demonic energy and Adamant shards, Giga Bowser could be heard roaring with agony. This only intensified by 10-fold when the Sacred Energy from Kagome's arrow struck the evil tyrant's tainted soul! Yet, when the dust and smoke cleared, Giga Bowser remained!

Giga Bowser was covered with wounds, and appeared to be missing his left eye. GB:"YOU WITCH! I'm going to make sure that you never see the light of day again!" Naraku:"[Inner] Perhaps I overestimated this monster. Inuyasha and his friends are putting up much more of a fight then I figured they would." Giga Bowser ran straight for Kagome, and almost had her, until Inuyasha dove and grabbed her up. Giga Bowser turned towards the two and growled with fury. Inuyasha:"Listen you overgrown freak of nature! I will burn in Hell before I let you even lay a _fragment_ of a claw on her!" GB:"THAT CAN BE ARRANGED!" He swiped at Inuyasha, who leaped into the air and started to bring Tetsusaiga down upon his head. But, Giga Bowser smacked Inuyasha out of the air, sending him plummeting to the ground with three deep scratches across his chest!

GB:"As strong as you are, boy, you don't have near the muscle or stamina required to battle against an evil tyrant like me!" Suddenly, an Adamant covered being slammed into Giga Bowser and brought him down! Matt:"Even _if_ Inuyasha doesn't, muscle is my speciality!" GB:"YOU? You're supposed to be scared out of your sanity in the Forest of Sorrow!" Matt:"You see, Giga Bowser, even the mightiest need help once in a while. That's what _**friends**_ are for." GB:"Oh, really? And how did your friends help you out of that one? They've all been here getting beaten the whole time!" Matt:"They didn't need to be. All I needed to conquer my greatest fear were the words, 'You've got friends when you need 'em.'" Suddenly infuriated, Giga Bowser and Moriamaru charged at Matt, who sent both flying towards Naraku with a solid roundhouse punch. The battle lines had been drawn; the final showdown was about to begin!

Matt:"I might have a way to pierce through Moriamaru's armor! Fire a Sacred Arrow at his chest and try to purify the Adamant. Then I'll deliver the finishing blast." Inuyasha:"Surely you of all people know that Moriamaru can't be harmed by demonic energy blasts. They just make him stronger!" Matt:"I'm aware of that...Dragonic Backlash!" Matt's blast went straight for Moriamaru, who countered with his own blast. Matt:"[Inner] Perfect!" GB:"Moriamaru! You idiot!" Giga Bowser already knew what was going to happen; Matt's blast continued to grow in power the more demonic energy that Moriamaru feed it. Soon, Matt's blast had grown to 20x20 with double power. Matt:"NOW!" With that, Kagome fired, but Giga Bowser blocked the arrow! Inuyasha:"Looks like we'll have to knock out Matt's 'friend' before we can destroy Moriamaru!" Matt:"Hurry up with it! I can't hold the blast back much longer!"

Miroku went to the side and used his Windtunnel, it was enough to send Giga Bowser off balance, but Naraku sent out his Samiyosho, forcing Miroku to shut his Windtunnel prematurely. Hiraikotsu and a Windscar both struck Giga Bowser in succession, knocking him onto his back! Inuyasha:"Kagome! Fire! Fire now!" Kagome:"Alright! Hit the mark!" Kagome fired and her arrow hit the very center of Moriamaru's Adamant covered chest. The Sacred Energy spread through Moriamaru's body and started to steadily weaken the Adamant from almost invulnerable, to that of mere steel! Matt stopped holding his blast back and unleashed the ultimate onslaught! The blast completely enveloped Moriamaru, and when the smoke cleared, he remained but, there was something very different about him; he was struggling to get up, as was Naraku!

Shippo:"Why was Moriamaru harmed by that blast! Demonic energy can't harm Moriamaru!" Matt:"Maybe demonic energy can't, but he isn't immune to _dragonic_ energy!" Following this statement was a Dragonscar. The attack surged forward and pierced through Moriamaru's weakened armor. Both Moriamaru and Naraku spit up a fountain of miasma-tainted blood from the dragonic attack. Inuyasha:"[Inner] That attack he just used...it moved in the exact same pattern as my Windscar!" Moriamaru was too weak to fight, and, because Moriamaru was Naraku's heart, Naraku was close to death. This left Moriamaru open to an attack from Inuyasha; Matt knew that Inuyasha was the one who wanted to slay Naraku for what he'd done to him 55 years ago. So, Inuyasha powered up his sword as if he was going to perform the Adamant Barrage; in doing so, the Tetsusaiga became solid Adamant! With the Adamant Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha sliced Moriamaru clean in two, then Kagome fired a Sacred Arrow at the upper half!

The desired result was achieved; Moriamaru started to disintegrate! Naraku also started to disappear, but not as quickly. Inuyasha:"Even with his heart destroyed, we need to deliver the finishing blow! Windscar!" Matt released a Dragonscar at the same time, and, to Inuyasha's immense surprise, the blasts fused together and surged forward with dramatic effect. Naraku was blown to smithereens from the deadly combination of demonic and dragonic energies! Matt:"Inuyasha! Guys! We did it! Naraku's soul has completely disappeared!" Miroku proceeded to look at his right hand; he found that his Windtunnel was shrinking at a rapid rate! In a matter of seconds, his Windtunnel had disappeared!

At this sight, Miroku and Sango hugged in rejoice. Inuyasha and Kagome breathed a sigh of relief; Inuyasha:"At last, it's over. Naraku has been defeated, and Kikyo has been avenged after 55 years. Now, at last, Kagome, we can live in peace!" Matt walked over to the horribly wounded Giga Bowser. Matt extended his Mace, then paused as if he were contemplating something. Then, with a sigh, Matt sheathed his Mace and changed back to normal. Matt:"Get out of here, Giga Bowser. I don't want to fight with you anymore. This grudge match of ours has gone on long enough. And, even as stubborn as you are, you know that you don't have the power to beat me. Naraku revived you, so I'll let you live your reincarnated life in peace; call it mercy." Giga Bowser steered and roared, "I'm not through with you yet!" Matt:"You fool! If you want to die that badly, then I can't stop you from trying to come after me. But, my warning still stands: come after my friends and I'll finish what I started without a second thought!" With that, the group of triumphant heros left the forest, and Giga Bowser, behind them.

After the battle, everyone used Matt's Super Truck to return to Kagome's time. Sango:"I've got to ask, Matt. Why did you spare him when all he's ever wanted to do was hunt you down?" Matt:"I don't really know myself, but I guess I just wanted to bury the hatchet. Even the worst scumbags need some peace." Kagome:"Speaking of 'piece', the Sacred Jewel is still missing. We need to find it before a whole new breed of evil demons is born! Unfortunately, I couldn't sense the Jewel." Inuyasha:"It must've been behind a barrier, but only Naraku has, or had rather, the power to create a barrier strong enough to block your senses." Matt:"Naraku gave Giga Bowser demonic powers. Perhaps...he's the one who created the barrier. But, he doesn't know how to unlock the power of the Jewel, so we shouldn't worry too much about the Jewel's being used for evil; although, we should make finding it a high priority."

Miroku:"I agree. Matt's old nemesis probably has no knowledge of how to use the Sacred Jewel's power, so we can delay our search a little while. I believe we should focus on some more...personal matters at the moment..." Matt:"Such as planning a double-wedding, eh, Miroku?" Miroku:"You were reading my mind, Matt." Inuyasha:"Not a chance! I _want_ to marry Kagome, but I'm _not_ going to do it in the same room as this pair of lovebirds!" Matt:"Who are you trying to kid? Put your stubborn pride to rest for one minute and admit that you think it's a good idea." Inuyasha started to say something, then just shut his mouth and crossed his arms. Kagome:"It looks like somebody was reading _his_ mind as well." Matt:"Looks like my hunches about lovebirds remain 100% accurate." Inuyasha:"Grrr...Yeah, well I'm gonna rip off your head so you can't think anymore!" Matt transformed and flew off saying, "You'll have to catch me first!" Inuyasha:"Hey! Get back here, dammit!" Kagome just laughed and went inside her house, knowing that in a matter of minutes Inuyasha would forget that ever happened, and Matt would return to the Shrine.


	8. Guest List

With peace in both worlds at hand, Matt, Inuyasha, and the others let several more weeks go by without even noticing it. All this time was spent planning the double-wedding and "Hero Time". This time around, though, Matt was much less concerned with hiding his transformed state, since almost half of Tokyo saw him in that form during his final confrontation with Degenhardt. Finally, after two months of planning, the double-wedding's date was set; three months after the ultimate defeat of Naraku, Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, and Sango's double-wedding was set to take place! Now all that was left was to invite the guests. All of Kagome's friends were invited first thing, closely followed by a few relatives who hadn't been seen in a very long time.

The only one available from Sango was her kid brother, Kohaku. Unfortunately, he was still in Inuyasha's world. This meant, of course, that he would need to be found swiftly, or he might be in danger from demons. Matt elected to try to find the lost teenager, since his Soul Sense could find the boy within a 100 mile radius. Matt used his Super Truck to go back to Inuyasha's world and start his search. Matt:"[Inner] Sango said that the last time she saw her brother was almost three years ago. Naraku had taken him prisoner, but couldn't take the Jewel Shard in his back from him without being completely cleansed from the immense pureness of Kohaku's soul. But, if Naraku had used the complete Jewel to become a full-demon with immense power, then he must've gotten the Shard out of him somehow; the Shard was supposed to be linked to Kohaku's Life Force, yet I can sense Kohaku's soul strongly. Hmm, that's right...Kikyo used the last of her power that was residing in the Jewel to revive Kohaku; that's when she finally left this world. Regardless, that'll be good news for Sango. Oh, great...there's about a thousand other souls surrounding him! I'll have to hurry if I'm going to save him!"

So, Matt transformed and flew in the direction of Kohaku's soul as fast as he was able. On the way, Matt sensed a second soul next to Kohaku that he hadn't sensed before; Matt:"Hey, wait! Sango told me that Sesshomaru's ward, Rin, was kidnaped at the same time Kohaku was. I suppose the two of them escaped from Moriamaru together and have been on the run ever since. Looks like I've got an extra special rescue mission now!" Matt increased his speed as much as he could, reaching his max speed of 300 mph almost instantly; but, even with this impressive speed, Matt still wondered if he would be able to reach Kohaku and Rin, before either of them were harmed.

When Matt was finally able to reach the area he detected the two souls, he discovered that the demons were hovering above an area of heavy forest. Matt:"Excellent! The kids were able to take refuge in that forest! And, by the looks of things, the flying demons are too large to go down into the forest. Not so sure about ones that can walk, though. Worse still, all of these demons probably work for Naraku, so they are going to be determined. What they don't realize, though, is that Naraku is dead already!" Without more hesitation, Matt flew down into the forest and continued his search for the two young teens.

The forest was dark inside, but Matt's Dragon's Soul lit up the dark forest. Matt:"[Inner] Hmm...this forest isn't quite as dark as the Forest of Shadows, but I still don't think that the kids will be able to find their way easily without any external light source. If those demons have strong senses of smell, those kids are in real trouble!" Matt ran deeper into the woods following the trail given to him by his Soul Sense. Soon, he found part of what he was looking for: the demons who were after the two teens! Matt:"Hey!" The demons were alerted and turned towards Matt. Matt:"Why don't you pick on someone your own size!" As the demons charged, Matt extended his Mace and met them all head on. The battle was very short, resulting in Matt's easy victory.

Just up ahead, Matt could sense Kohaku and Rin hiding in the darkness; Kohaku had his blade drawn and was ready to fight to the death with any demon who entered their temporary sanctuary. Soon, he and Rin saw a light coming towards them, Matt entered the area of forest they had hidden themselves in. Kohaku's blade was swift and embedded itself deep in Matt's left shoulder. Matt:"Yow! Take it easy, Kohaku! I'm not here to hurt you!" Kohaku continued to shield Rin and asked how Matt knew his name. Matt:"Easy, Kohaku. Your sister, Sango, is very worried about you and entrusted me with finding you and bringing you back to her, safe and sound. If you can trust me enough to let me get you and Rin out of here, then I can take you to your sister. I won't let any of those demons waiting above the forest get to you, and I already killed the ones in the forest." Kohaku still didn't trust Matt because of his demonic looks, but he still seemed somewhat more at ease; as a result, he agreed to Matt's proposal.

Matt peeked his head out of the darkness and saw no more demons in the immediate area. Matt:"Alright. Get on my back and hold on really tight." Before climbing on, Kohaku removed his blade from Matt's shoulder and watched in amazement at the speed which the wound healed. Matt flew out of the forest at 300 mph, and, before the other demons knew about it, he and the kids were long gone. After Matt reached a safer location, he let the kids down and changed back to his human state. After doing that, Matt summoned his Super Truck to his side.

Suddenly, Kohaku became very depressed. Kohaku:"I'm...sorry...for attacking you." Matt:"Don't worry about it. I've been hit with a _lot_ worse than that and my healing power hasn't failed to protect me yet. Besides, your reaction was only natural; most demons aren't to be trusted and I don't look all that human in my transformed state. And, speaking of demons, Rin..." She looked up at her savior with curiosity. Matt:"...how come you aren't with Sesshomaru?" Rin:"How do you know about Lord Sesshomaru?" Matt:"I'm good friends with his brother." Rin:"I see. Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken were unable to find me because of a barrier that Naraku had produced. But, then Kohaku saved me and we started to run to safety. Unfortunately, the barrier was attached to the Jewel Shard that was in Kohaku's back. The Shard was removed about a year ago; but, by then, I'm afraid that Lord Sesshomaru had forgotten about me."

Matt:"Hmm...I think I just got an idea for an invite to that double-wedding...Inuyasha is probably going to kill me for it though... But, for now, let's get you two to Sango." Kohaku:"What do you mean 'double-wedding'?" Matt:"Hmm? Oh, how could I have forgotten to tell you? Your sister is getting married to that monk, Miroku. And, at the same time, Inuyasha and Kagome are finally going to 'tie the knot'. That's why I came to find you; so you could see your sister's wedding, and so you two could finally be reunited. Oh, and Rin...if I can persuade him to come for even a minute or two, I can reunite you with Lord Sesshomaru later." Rin's face shined at the thought, and thus, she agreed to go with Matt and Kohaku to Kagome's time period. After a minute or two, everybody was inside the Super Truck and the Dimensional Coordinates were locked in. Matt:"Ok, you two! Here we go!" So, with a white flash, the Truck warped back to Dimension 5, right in front of Kagome's front doorstep!

Inside the house, Sango was worried about the amount of time Matt was taking to find Kohaku. Sango:"What is taking him so long! He should've been able to find him after this long!" Kagome:"Hey, give him some time. Even if he can sense souls within 100 miles, Kohaku could be anywhere in the world right now. It could take Matt at _least_ a couple of days to find him... then again, knowing him, he's probably gotten lucky and found him already." Matt entered the room at the exact same moment and said, "Nice to know you guys have such great faith in me." The two of them both looked in Matt's direction with a gasp. Matt:"You're right about one thing; I got lucky, alright. I got a two-for-one special on rescuing today. I found not only Kohaku, but I also found Sesshomaru's ward, Rin, with him."

Sango ran outside the house and hugged Kohaku tightly. Sango:"I'm so glad you're ok! How did you survive on your own like that for all this time?" Matt decided to leave the two of them be and listened to what Kagome had to say; Kagome:"You realize that Sesshomaru will probably be looking for Rin, now that Naraku has been destroyed." Matt:"Yeah. I intended to try to find him next and bring him here, if only to retrieve Rin." Kagome:"Tell me you weren't thinking of inviting him to the wedding!" Matt:"He's changed a lot ever since Rin came along, right? I realize fully that he and Inuyasha aren't a 'tight knit' family, but it might be good for both of them." Kagome:"I agree with you there, but you know what they're like; you get them in the same room..." Matt:"...And 'the fur starts flying', I know. Regardless, if nothing else, we should reunite him with Rin. I'll go back to the Feudal Era and look for Sesshomaru, then try to convince him to come with me back to your time; easier said then done, I know, but it'll still be worth the effort." Kagome:"All I can say is, good luck." Matt:"Thanks. I'm probably going to need it." With that, he was off in his Super Truck, headed towards the Feudal Era once again.

Once Matt was back in the Feudal Era, he transformed and started to fly in an eastward direction. He flew for hour after hour, and didn't detect even a fragment of Sesshomaru's soul. Matt:"Well, I know that he isn't dead; that guy's too powerful to get killed. But, where on God's green Earth can he be? Hmm...with Naraku's barrier down, Sesshomaru would probably be able to smell Kohaku and Rin again, so maybe..." Matt started to fly towards northwest. He didn't know exactly where the woods were, now that he didn't have a soul to track, but, after flying for a while, Matt soon got his soul; Matt said with a grin, "Gotcha Sesshomaru!"

Matt looked down on the ground after flying for about an hour and spotted Sesshomaru and his servant, Jaken. Matt:"I better go ahead and change back to normal. If I don't look demonic, then Sesshomaru might be a bit more likely to see things my way." So, Matt flew onward and landed about half a mile ahead of Sesshomaru and changed back to his human form. Soon afterwards, Sesshomaru reached his position and instantly caught his scent. Sesshomaru:"What is a mortal doing way out here? And why would a human be waiting for me, a demon?" Matt:"I have my reasons...you wouldn't happen to be looking for a young girl named Rin, would you?"

Sesshomaru's reaction was swift; with blinding speed, he moved and grabbed Matt by the throat. Matt:"[Inner] I knew that he would be faster than me in my human state; he has me in strength too, since I'm on par with Inuyasha. If I transformed, I'd have strength, but Sesshomaru would still have speed. I don't want to fight him, but if he doesn't start to listen to reason, I might just have to!" Sesshomaru:"I can smell her all over your clothes. What do you know about her whereabouts, you miserable wretch!" Matt:"Hey, take it easy, Sesshomaru. I didn't come here to fight, so how about putting me down and let's discuss this like gentlemen."

Sesshomaru:"Fine. Tell me where Rin is, or I shall end your existence." Jaken:"Aye Lord Sesshomaru. Kill this scum for capturing Rin!" Matt changed his eyes to green and said, "How about you put me down, before I 'slit your stomach, take out your guts, and put 'em in a bowl'!" Sesshomaru gave a light gasp, having recognized the threat. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had fought in their father's tomb nearly five years ago; during the battle, Sesshomaru had used his **Poison Claws** against Kagome and nearly killed her. In anger, Inuyasha slashed Sesshomaru's armor, ripping a piece off. Immediately afterward, Inuyasha said the same threat to Sesshomaru, verbatim. Sesshomaru:"So, you know my brother, do you? Yes...I didn't notice his scent on your clothes until now. Inuyasha is of no concern to me; Rin is. Where is she?" Matt:"I'll tell you as soon as you let go of my neck!"

Sesshomaru's grip tightened even more instead of loosening. Matt:"Alright, fine. I didn't want to fight, but you brought this on yourself, Sesshomaru!" With that, Matt transformed into Brawn; the massive increase in size forced Sesshomaru to let go. Simultaneously, Matt's lower set of arms pushed the powerful demon away. Matt:"Now, this is the last time I'm going to ask nicely. Let's discuss Rin and her location like gentlemen and then perhaps _both_ of us can benefit from the conversation, you especially." Sesshomaru extended a whip, composed of a hardened form of the same poison his claws expunged, saying, "Only weak demons hide behind a human disguise and I don't make a habit of deliberating with low-class demons such as yourself!" At the outburst, Sesshomaru lashed out with this whip. Matt blocked Sesshomaru's attack and thought, "This is going to be a _long_ day!"

As Matt extended his Mace, he said calmly, "I'm much more powerful than you think. But, like I've already said, I don't want to have to prove it. Now, are you going to start listening to reason?" Sesshomaru lashed out again with this whip, but Matt blocked it a second time. Matt:"Didn't think so..." So, Matt unleashed a barrage of Blood Fortress Blades, which Sesshomaru dodged with relative ease. But, it also made Sesshomaru start to think that Matt was serious; Sesshomaru kicked it up a notch as well. He used his Poison Claws, which were capable of melting even powerful demons down to their bones with extremely deadly, acidic poison. Matt was no different with the first part; he was very quickly melted down to his bones, despite his thick skin. What Sesshomaru didn't expect, however, was Matt's survival. His adamantium bones hissed as the poison hit them, but weren't damaged in the least. While Sesshomaru was temporarily spellbound by the sight, four Dragon Chains shot out and wrapped him up.

Despite Sesshomaru's mighty strength, he couldn't break free of the four Chains which held him captive. "Now, are you ready to listen instead of jumping to conclusions?" Matt asked, as his wound healed. Sesshomaru struggled violently against the Chains, but, eventually, his struggles ceased. Sesshomaru:"Where is Rin, you monster?" Matt changed back to his human state and released Sesshomaru; Matt:"If I was a monster, I'd be slashing your face apart right now. But, as for Rin, she is perfectly safe. Sorry to take her away after you searched for her for close to a year, but I thought it necessary to keep her safe. She's with Inuyasha and the rest of the group. Unfortunately, telling you where they are is useless, because they are back in Kagome's time period; some place _you_ can't get to."

Sesshomaru:"Is that so? Then why have _you_ come to find me?" Matt:"Rin is worried about you, and I can't just sit back and watch a young girl cry. Nonetheless, that's not the only, though primary, reason that I came; it is unlikely that you've heard, but Inuyasha and Kagome are finally going to 'tie the knot', if you know what I mean. I was curious as to whether or not you'd be interested in being a surprise guest for the wedding. If Rin is all that you want, then I shall take you to Kagome's time period so you can collect her, and then bring you right back to the Feudal Era. The choice is yours; I'm not trying to influence your decision in any way." Sesshomaru gave a scruff, but said, "I suppose that I can _try_ to enjoy my brother's company for small while. Jaken!" Jaken:"Yes, Milord?" Sesshomaru:"We are going to retrieve Rin and, perhaps, also see just how good of a host my little brother is." With a press of a button on his Key Chain, Matt summoned up his Super Truck and locked in the coordinates for Kagome's Dimension. Matt:"Alright, sit tight! [Inner] I don't know how things are going to turn out, but it is probably going to be really interesting!"

In a flash, Matt was back in modern times along with Sesshomaru and Jaken. As soon as the Truck stopped and everyone was out, Sesshomaru started to sniff the air. Sesshomaru:"It would seem that my recently acquired faith in mortals wasn't misplaced; Rin is here." Semi-automatically, Rin came out of the house and shouted, "Lord Sesshomaru!" Then, something rather surprising happened; Sesshomaru kneeled down and hugged Rin, as a father would to his child. Inuyasha and Kagome came out of the house at the exact moment this happened. Inuyasha:"Heh! What's this all of a sudden? And you had the nerve to criticize me for being half-demon and showing compassion for humans! Now you're acting like a _father_ to that _human_ girl! You're the worst kind of hypocrite, Sesshomaru! And what the hell are you doing here anyway? How did you go through the well!"

Sesshomaru:"Well? I know not what you speak of, little brother, so stop your barking! As for my relationship with Rin, things _can_ change, Inuyasha. By having Rin as my ward, I learned that, while fragile, most mortals are worthwhile creatures in their own right." Inuyasha stood back, rather stunned. Inuyasha:"[Inner] Yeah, you have changed a lot, I'll give you credit where it's due there, Sesshomaru." Sesshomaru:"As to how I came here, your mysterious friend brought me here in his contraption as an invited guest." Inuyasha glared over at Matt with a tinge of fury in his eyes. Matt:"Hey, don't look at me like that, Inuyasha. 'Tight-knit' or not, a family member shouldn't miss another family member's wedding." Kagome:"He's got ya on that one, Inuyasha." Inuyasha:"Ok, fine. Sesshomaru can stay, but if I hear even the slightest hint of a 'half-breed' comment out of him, he's gone!" With a scruff, Sesshomaru replied, "Fine, little brother. You needn't worry about such comments out of me while we stay in this bizarre era." After that, the day went without incident, giving at least a temporary happy ending to the day.

Miroku would've invited his master, Mucin. Unfortunately, Mucin passed away shortly before Naraku was defeated. However, Hatchi, Miroku's loyal racoon-dog companion, was still among the living, so Matt was also sent to find him. Matt found him and Lady Kaede in the same village, and brought them back to the Higurashi Shrine. With all the guests gathered, the wedding itself was only a short week away. Yet, things just couldn't seem to go right for Inuyasha and his group; the same terrorist group that attacked Sota's school was back again, with much bigger plans in mind! This time, they wanted to destroy all of Tokyo in order to achieve their goals!


	9. The Shadowlands Meet Tokyo

In the news, Kagome and the others saw public building after public building fall to the ground. Sesshomaru:"I must admit, this new age is amazing. Now I'm rather envious that you are able to come here freely and not me, Inuyasha. Yet, this age is just as filled with violence as ours; I suppose the saying 'the more things change, the more they also stay the same' is true." Inuyasha:"Yeah, that's _one_ thing that we agree on. But, that's what 'Hero Time' is for, right?" Matt started laughing from across the room; Matt:"I hear ya, Inuyasha. I was about to head out and see if I can dig up anything on these bastards; even a motive would help out. Two heads are better than one, so if Sesshomaru can stand being around a huge group of mortals for a little while, I'd appreciate it if you postponed playing host for a little and help in the search, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha started out with his usual indifference, then readily agreed to come along; when asked why, Inuyasha said, "Because I can only take so much of having my brother around all of a sudden." Matt chuckled, then transformed. Matt:"Alright, look for anything suspicious in the west end of town, I'll look in the east. Let's meet back at the Shrine by nightfall." Inuyasha:"Got it. Let's split up." So, the two heroes split, and started to look all over Tokyo for questionable events.

For the first few of hours, neither Matt nor Inuyasha found anything. After a while, though, Inuyasha found a slight clue; with the terrorists on the loose, security and checkpoints were increased. A particular truck was continuously bypassing checkpoints and dodging security. Inuyasha:"Hmm...that's a little suspicious. That same contraption has been going past all those outposts. I wonder if that belongs to those bandits everyone is so worried about?" So, Inuyasha followed the truck to a warehouse. With a rash decision, Inuyasha burst into the building and surprised the men; that's when about thirty men pulled out automatic weapons and pointed them right at Inuyasha! Inuyasha:"Bad idea!" Inuyasha, in turn, unleashed his Windscar against the men. Inuyasha sought to not only to disarm them, but also to defend himself. The devastating blast swirled through the room, and took out several of the men in the process, much to Inuyasha's dismay; Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga was meant only to protect humans, not to kill them. Fortunately, the men that were hit by the blast were wearing high-class armor and were mostly unharmed. As for Inuyasha though, the unscarred men opened fire and riddled him with bullets!

His being a half-demon came in real handy after the bombardment. His superhuman resilience enabled him to stand back up after the attack and counter with his own. Inuyasha dashed around the room, slugging every man he came across. He succeeded in knocking out the men in one punch with his half-demon strength. After his onslaught, however, Inuyasha started to stagger with fatigue; even with his stamina, taking almost 100 rounds of ammunition to the torso was not something he could shrug off. A couple of minutes later, Matt stormed into the warehouse in his human state. Matt:"Inuyasha! I sensed you were in a bit of trouble, so I got here as fast as I could. You ok?" Then, Matt saw the blood oozing out of Inuyasha's Kimono. Matt:"I see you've been shot; I guess even Fire Rat hair can't block bullets...I'll fix you right up."

Matt gave Inuyasha a vial of blood and healed him. Inuyasha:"What were those things they were using on me?" Matt:"They're called 'guns'. They were rather rare in your time period; now you can find them in almost any marketplace. The worst kinds are automatic ones, the kind you were attacked with. They can fire out more ammo in a minute then an entire fleet of archers could back in your time." Inuyasha:"Yeah, they do. And those invisible arrows they fire really hurt." Matt:"Hahaha. Yeah, they do. I've been shot on several occasions. In my Brawn state, my skin is thick enough that the bullets won't penetrate, but it still hurts. Anyway, what did you find out from these guys?" Inuyasha:"Not much. I was too busy being shot at. But, I did see that the truck they were using was bypassing all of the outposts throughout Kagome's village. What do you think that means?" Matt:"Well, they could've been using radar in their truck to figure out where the security would be, or...there's one other possibility." Inuyasha:"What?" Matt:"Somebody really high on the 'totem pole' is helping these guys out!"

The sun was beginning to set outside, so Matt and Inuyasha started to hurry back to the Shrine. Matt:"I realize that patience isn't your strongest suit, but we can't just go barging into the Mayor's office without any proof. We'll have to find someway to implicate the Mayor or whomever is running this show; the best way would probably to get the terrorists to trust us and invite us into the gang. That's easier said than done, though." Inuyasha:"I say that, you, me, and Miroku knock out a couple of stragglers on our next outing and use their clothes as a disguise." Matt:"That'll probably work, actually. The next time we head out, we should stick together and take out a straggler or two and sneak into the organization. Although, we should get more of us..." Inuyasha:"Why should more than just the three of us go?" Matt:"Think about it. If we jump into a truck, we'll have to take out the rest of the crew. If we don't have at least close to as many people as stragglers, we could be figured out prematurely."

Inuyasha:"Well, I can see your point. Who would you suggest?" Matt:"Well, Sesshomaru has come a long way, but this is one step too big, too soon...Koga. You two might not get along, but he cares about Kagome, and if this will help _her_, he'll do it." Inuyasha:"You'll have to bring Ayame too. When Koga finally got it through his thick skull that Kagome didn't like him, he and Ayame 'started over'." Matt:"I kinda had a feeling that would happen eventually. Anyway, I'll bring the two of them, Koga helps us out, everybody gets married, he and Ayame are guests, everybody goes home happy. What do ya say? Come on." Inuyasha:"Heh. I guess I'll owe that scrawny wolf that much if he helps us with this. Leave after we eat and try to find Koga back in my world." Matt:"Fine, let's do it."

A couple of hours later, dinner was finished. Matt was back in Inuyasha's world looking for the leader of the wolf demons, Koga. Matt:"Koga's tribe should still be holding up in the Northern Mountains. I'll look there first." Matt's hunch was right. He came within a short distance of the mountains, and he started to sense the souls of several wolf demons. Matt descended to the ground and started to walk towards the peak of the mountain; landing straight in their territory would've been treated as an act of war. Matt used his Chains to ascend to high ledges and cliff tops. Eventually, Matt reached the top of the mountain and started to walk along the rocky path. After a little while, Matt came to the main territory of the wolf demon tribe.

At first, Matt's intrusion went unattended, as the wolves considered him to be just passing by. However, the more Matt went down the path, the more he noticed the wolves tense up; the wolves were beginning to consider him a threat. Finally, Matt got what he wanted: Koga came out to meet him in the pathway. Koga:"We wolf demons don't take kindly to strangers in our territory. I suggest you turn around or else you'll wind up as supper." Matt:"Ah, Koga, just the man I wanted to see." Koga:"How do you know who I am! Did Naraku send you!" Matt:"You need to get out more, Koga. Naraku's dead, and has been dead for several weeks; Inuyasha finally finished the job." Koga:"As if that half-breed mutt would be able to kill Naraku!" Matt:"I was there; I helped to deliver the finishing blow."

Koga:"Oh, is that right?" Matt:"Yeah, but I didn't come here to deliver _that_ news. It is very unlikely that you've heard, but Inuyasha and Kagome are getting married; you and Ayame are invited guests." Koga:"Oh, and I suppose that was the mutt's idea?" Matt:"Actually, yes. But, I suppose he also had his ulterior motives; he and I need some help with a rather big problem." Koga:"Oh, yeah, like I'd ever help Inu-trash-a!" Matt:"[Snidely] I bet you would if it would benefit _Kagome_ directly." Koga:"Are you looking for a fight or something?" Matt:"That's up to you. I merely came because Inuyasha sent me here to find you and Ayame so that you could be guests at the wedding. But, we also need help with a problem that is racking Kagome's world apart. Can we count on you or not?"

Koga:"Grrr. Fine, I'll help you guys out with this little problem as long as it'll benefit Kagome." Matt:"I knew you'd see things my way. Now then, where's Ayame?" The female wolf demon appeared out of the shadows and landed next to Koga. Matt:"Good to meet you. Now, to get our ride..." Matt changed back to normal and pressed the button on his Key Chain. The Super Truck appeared before the group. Matt:"Step inside. Next stop, Kagome's world!" Though reluctantly, Koga and Ayame stepped inside the Super Truck and warped with Matt back to Kagome's world. Once back in Kagome's world, Matt knew that all that was left was to inform Koga of what was going on and execute their scheme!

After Kagome took the time to explain everything to Koga, he seemed to be rather skeptical as to whether or not the plan would actually work. Koga:"So, let me get this straight. The four of us are going stop a group of bandits by knocking them out of their ride and disguising ourselves as them?" Matt:"More or less." Koga:"On another note, mutt, why did you send this weak demon to find me instead of looking for me yourself?" Inuyasha:"First, he isn't even a demon, second, he's physically on par with us, and third, I didn't look for you myself because he can track souls within 100 miles of himself, regardless of the terrain! Unlike us, whose sense of smell diminishes the further away our target is or if they went through water." Kagome:"That's right. We have been asking Matt to find people for us because of his sixth sense of tracking souls, and we really appreciate it. So, Koga, please help them out." Koga:"Oh, alright, but there better be at least a little bit of a challenge involved!" Matt:"Oh, I can assure you, this will be at least moderately difficult." Koga:"Alright then, let's get to work!"

The next afternoon, after giving Koga some "modern" clothes, the four men set out find a truck that was bypassing checkpoints throughout the city. After a couple of hours, Koga began to get impatient. Koga:"Hey! What exactly are we looking for?" After scanning the ground for a little more, Matt said, "That." Below them, a truck started to go by just after bypassing a checkpoint. Matt:"Let's follow it from the rooftops." So, the group leaped from rooftop to rooftop following the truck. Eventually, it came to a what appeared to be an abandoned factory. Inuyasha:"That must be where they're meeting with their bosses. We've got find a way to sneak in there and take out some stragglers." Koga:"Got it, mutt!"

Inuyasha growled at Koga as the group leaped off the rooftop and dove underneath the automatic door, which was rapidly closing. The group hid behind a large pillar and watched carefully for an opening. They soon got one; men got out of multiple trucks all at once. Miroku:"It seems we came in at just the right time. The men are all leaving at the same time. We should focus on the last group." As the men got out of their trucks, Matt and the others noticed that the truck who'd just entered had only four people in it, and the men occupying it were the last to leave their vehicle. As the terrorists moved down a hallway to a meeting area, they left truck by truck. Once the others were out of view, Matt and his group jumped the men from the last truck.

But, that's when Matt noticed something weird. Matt:"Guys. These guys are like robots! They don't have souls and didn't even react when we attacked them!" Inuyasha:"Yeah. That would explain why I was able to use the Windscar on that group that was shooting at me previously, since Tetsusaiga can only be used to protect humans, not kill them. But, if whomever's causing all this trouble is using dead guys, then just who are we dealing with?" Koga:"I guess we'll find out soon enough, mutt." After hiding the soulless bodies and swapping clothes, they headed down to the meeting. The group walked down the hallway, reaching a large room where all of the soulless soldiers were awaiting orders. The "general" of the undead was a live person; General:"We've been summoned to the boss's presence. We'll leave immediately to receive orders on our next target. Dismissed!"

Miroku:"Now, here's our chance to get to the bottom of this." Matt:"Play it cool. Watch how they walk and try to emulate the pattern. We don't want the higher ups getting too suspicious too quickly." The others nodded and imitated the undead soldiers' walk. Soon, though with some slight discomfort, Inuyasha and the others reached the truck that they were supposed to man and climbed inside. Matt and Inuyasha in front, Miroku and Koga in the back of the truck. Koga:"So, what now, mutt?" Inuyasha:"How the hell should I know? We follow until we meet 'the boss'."

It was another hour until the brigade reached its destination. Immediately, the road opened up and revealed a hidden garage underneath the city! Miroku:"Well, that's something you don't see everyday." Matt:"Yeah, and it takes _great_ connections to build something like this unnoticed." Inuyasha:"Well, I guess that proves that 'the boss' has a high position in Kagome's village." Koga:"Yeah, whatever. So, when do we get to the part where we take all these guys down?" Inuyasha:"Getting a little anxious, are we, wolf-boy?" Koga:"Can it, mutt. I just don't like the idea of your intolerable brother hanging around Ayame and Kagome." Matt:"Now, now. You should give him a chance; he's changed a lot since Rin came along. Besides, we have more important things to worry about."

Their conversation would've continued, had the general's voice not called them from outside; General:"Everybody out! The boss shall be here shortly." Miroku:"I guess this is the moment of truth." The general instructed everybody to stand in a single file line; a dead man was at one end, Matt at the other. After a short while, "the boss" arrived; she was an attractive looking woman with shoulder-length black hair. As she started to inspect the brigade, starting at the end opposite Matt, Miroku said, "Ooh, she's quite a beauty!" Inuyasha promptly gave Miroku an elbow to the side, then assumed the proper posture again. Soon, she reached Matt and the others. Upon getting to Miroku, the boss got a suspicious look. After inspecting Matt, she stood in front of them, between Koga and Inuyasha, and summoned four soldiers to her side. Boss:"You four..." The four of them remained in the still "soldier-pose" despite the suspicious look. Boss:"...why do your hearts beat?" Matt whispered to Koga, "Gig's up. _This_ is the part where we take these guys down." Koga:"Let's go, mutt!" Inuyasha:"Ready, Miroku?" Miroku:"Right, here goes!"

With that, the four of them surprise attacked the four soldiers around them. Boss:"Stop them before they ruin everything!" Miroku was reduced to using Sutra while Koga and Inuyasha were forced to use their claws; their staff and swords would've given them away immediately. Still, no matter how the undead guards tried, they could not stop the combined force of the four heroes. Unfortunately, no matter how many times the soldiers went down, they continued to get back up. Even after being completely destroyed, the zombie soldiers would reform into their original forms.

That's how it was for Inuyasha, Miroku, and Koga at least. Matt's Klaw slashes seemed to be doing more extensive damage; it took the zombies almost five times longer to the regenerate when felled by Matt then it did with the others. But, even Matt's Hunter powers couldn't take the zombies down for good! Matt:"[Inner] This is just like in the Shadowlands. That was the inside of the Hole, so zombies didn't stay down for long in there. That was only part of it though...Malice's daughter, Sin! She was able to manipulate the undead! Could...could _she_ have crossed over into this dimension as well?"

After he roundhouse kicked a zombie's head off, Matt extended his Dragon Chains and started to think about the song Joy to the World. At the thought, the Dragon Chains responded with the music and words of the song, using the "Song of the Heart" Matt had demonstrated earlier. Upon hearing the song, "the boss" started to shriek with agony! The zombies the heroes were facing started to crumble slightly, and the boss's disguise started to disintegrate. Soon, it was revealed that the boss was really just a demon in disguise; her skin was blood red, with yellow eyes, and she was rather scantily dressed in black. On her back, two medium-sized, bat-like wings were attached. The song continued to play and she continued to shriek. Matt:"Can't stand it, can you? Scripture always was effective against demons from the Underworld; isn't that right...Sin?"

Sin:"Curse you, you meddling freak!" With that, Matt stopped playing the song. Matt:"So, it _is_ you. Tell me, were you the one who helped Degenhardt cross back over into this world?" Sin:"I don't know who you are talking about, you mortal scum." Matt:"Scum, am I? Last time I checked, you treated humans with the utmost cruelty, forcing them to serve you or perish. You even relentlessly hunted down your own sister! Mortal or not, your sister loved you, Contempt, _and_ your father, Malice, and _still_ you tried to kill Kristan _and_ her half-brother, Ed! You even had your soldiers try to waste me on more than one occasion as I protected them; and _you_ call _me_ scum!"

Inuyasha:"You're as bad as Naraku!" Miroku:"Indeed." Matt:"Enough about the past...what the hell are you doing here and why are you tormenting these people, Sin?" Sin:"Hahahaha! I torment humans because I _enjoy_ it! But, _you_ are the reason I'm here; you dethroned and killed father and Contempt, allowing the Albatri to take over. I managed to escape from underneath of the Hellstone you threw at us; father used his last shred of life to open a portal that allowed me to escape. I knew not where I arrived, but I knew that there were humans and dead for me to manipulate in order to restore my family to royalty."

Inuyasha:"I've heard just about all that I can take out of this demon hag!" Koga:"You said it, mutt!" Soon, the other three rushed over to Matt to aid him in the upcoming battle. Sin:"How nice of you to all gather in one spot...that makes it so much easier to crush you!" Before anyone could move, Sin snapped her fingers and a pit appeared beneath the four of them, causing them to tumble downward several feet. Sin:"Hahaha. We have a saying back in the Shadowlands, 'You don't hit your foe when he's down; you crush him'!" With another snap of her fingers, Sin summoned a Hellstone right above their heads!

Inuyasha:"What the hell is that?" As Matt transformed, he said, "It's a Hellstone! An object found only in the Shadowlands!" It dropped on top of them, but Matt caught it using his immense power. The impact still made him squat after catching it. Matt:"Hellstones can only be lifted by the most physically strong creatures. It took almost an entire tribe of demons from the Shadowlands to lift one! They weigh 1 million tons!" Sin:"Ah, yes. I remember that demon form you took back _then_ as well. Let's see just how strong you are!" Sin snapped her fingers again, summoning another Hellstone to fall on top of Matt and the others!

Matt gave a straining groan upon impact. Matt:"I don't know how, but Sin summoned another Hellstone!" Koga:"I don't know how much a ton is, but two million of them sounds like a lot!" Matt:"Damn right! Even I can't hold _this much_ weight for very long! If she summons another one, we're as good as dead! [Inner] Hmm? That's strange; Sin's Life Force is depleted. Maybe summoning multiple Hellstones in a very short period of time takes its toll on the summoner...Now's my chance!" Matt, with a straining grunt, started to fly upward, carrying the Hellstones with him.

Matt was correct about Sin; Sin was knelling and breathing with slight difficulty. Sin:"Father once warned be about the art of summoning Hellstones; only the truly skilled can summon more than one in a day without impediment. It seems this was the price he had warned me of. I should've practiced as he instructed, yet, unlike Contempt, I was a 'wild child'. Hmm...it seems that my disregard for authority may someday..." Sin looked up to see that the Hellstones in the pit were steadily beginning to rise up! Sin:"N...no! Tha...that's impossible! Nothing alive, other than father after using the 'Common Soul' technique, is capable for lifting that much weight! Nothing!"

Matt finished rising from the pit carrying the stones above his head with much effort. Matt:"Lucky for me, but not you, I can lift just over 2 million tons! Oh, and Sin, we have a saying here as well, 'One good turn...deserves another'!" Matt then gave a mighty heave and hurled the Hellstones straight at their summoner! With an angry, yet, oddly happy smile in her heart, Sin watched as the Hellstones came crashing down upon her, ending her existence in one fowl swoop. After throwing the massive stone, Matt extended his Chains down to the others and hoisted them out of the pit. Afterwards, Matt cracked his neck and changed back to normal.

Matt:"I'll be feeling that tomorrow." Matt looked over where Sin used to be and saw a pool of black blood oozing out from underneath it. Matt:"Join your family in Hell and rest in peace, Sin. Come on, guys; our job here is done." Inuyasha:"Almost..." The group soon spotted the General, trying to sneak away from the battlefield. Miroku:"I suppose the only living person has to be the one to go to prison, right?" Matt:"Yep. Get back here!" Matt extended his Dragon Chain and caught the General and dragged her back to them. Koga:"So, you sided with a demon to try and take over the village above. Game's over." Matt:"Hmm? There's another soul in this area! But, who's could it be...?" General:"I told her to kill the governor when she had the chance!" Inuyasha:"Well, thanks for the info, but where the hell is he?" The General pointed towards a wall with a small slit carved into it. Matt:"Man...that's cruel and unusual punishment. You buried the poor bastard alive!"

Inuyasha:"No biggie, we just dig 'em out!" Inuyasha rushed the wall and shouted, "Iron Reverse Soul Stealer!" The mighty claw slash burst the wall open, revealing that, indeed, the governor was trapped behind the wall! The middle-aged man kneeled down and gave them praise for his rescue. Koga:"Hey, wait a minute. If that's the village chief, then who's been controlling the village for all this time?" Matt:"My guess is that Sin created an undead dummy of the governor and had it run the government for her while she executed her plan and kidnaped the real governor. With Sin gone for good now, the fake governor is probably already disintegrated. Sir, you should return to your post as soon as possible. Things haven't been as they should during your absence." Governor:"Indeed. My most sincere thanks you and your friends for rescuing me." With that, the governor took off towards the surface. "But as for you," Inuyasha said as he picked up the General. "You're going nowhere." The four of them gathered a small portion of rope that they found and tied up the female General. A few short minutes later, they left her on the police station's doorstep and continued on their way back to the Higurashi Shrine; another mission accomplished, in the most perfect way!


	10. The Long Awaited Day

With Sin put to rest permanently, life returned to normal in Tokyo, well...aside from the upcoming double-wedding, set to take place in only a couple of days. Things were so tense around the Shrine that Matt wasn't able to even go out for Hero Time. But, at long last, the wedding day arrived. No official church was used for it; instead, everyone convened at the Higurashi Shrine. The non-participants continued to get things ready while the participants also continued to get ready. When truly massive things were being brought in, Matt was the one who carried it. All the men were dressed in tuxedos, the women dressed in lovely dresses and gowns; even Sota was dressed up. Matt was transformed for most of the pre-wedding process, carrying gigantic objects needed for the wedding with one of his massive arms. When Sota asked why he wasn't dressed up, Matt replied, "I am, in human form, but the clothing on my Brawn state never changes. I prefer this kind of clothing set; I never liked to dress up for anything. Don't worry, I'll change back to normal when things start up officially." Sota laughed and continued helping with setting things up.

After a short while, they spotted Miroku and Inuyasha, dressed for the occasion; both were wearing black and white versions of their usual clothing. Matt:"Well, you two certainly look festive." Miroku:"Unless I'm mistaken, the proper attire for a wedding is not a pair of sweats and a T-shirt." Matt reverted to normal, revealing that he was, in fact, in a tuxedo. Matt:"I know. What? You think I'd wear that to a _wedding_? I may not like to dress-up, but some situations require it." Just then, Matt spotted Kagome's three friends, Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi. Matt:"I was kind of wondering about something, Inuyasha. How did those three react when they found out that you were a half-demon and not just an ordinary human?" Inuyasha:"Hard to say. I guess they thought it was a bit strange, but I suppose they also figured it explained why Kagome was always off away from her school and such..." Matt:"I bet they wanted to touch your ears too, didn't they?" Inuyasha:"Yep. Chicks dig the ears."

All Matt could do at the answer was explode with laughter. Matt:"I see that your understanding of modern slang has improved vastly." Inuyasha:"Well, I guess that happens when you hang out with Sota all day." Matt:"Yes, I suppose. Where did you get your 'tuxes'?" Miroku:"Kagome's mother is quite skilled at sewing." Matt:"Makes sense. Looks like the party's about to get started. Good luck." Both men gulped loudly as Matt walked away and took his seat near the front of the rows of chairs. On the way back, Matt spotted Sesshomaru, in a black version of his usual attire, standing in the back rows. Alongside him were Jaken and Rin; on the opposite end of the back row were Koga and Ayame, also dressed up for the occasion. Everywhere Matt looked, he saw people dressed up and looking good for the wondrous occasion; the bride's maids sitting on the left side, the best men on the right. Matt:"[Inner] I hope everything goes well. Things sure look nice and perfectly laid out; if any two couples deserve this right now, it's these two."

As the music began to play, Inuyasha and Miroku stood nervously in the front of the procession. Matt saw their throats bulge from swallowing hard when their brides-to-be appeared at the end of the precession. Up front, Inuyasha was silently panicking; Inuyasha:"[Inner] Oh, crap! What do I say when she gets up here? What should I do? How should I act! Man, this love stuff is _**so**_ much harder than demon-slaying!" Miroku was wondering somewhat similar things, except he was concentrating on the thought of being able to freely stroke Sango's butt without getting slapped.

The more the music played, the closer the brides got, and the more Inuyasha and Miroku panicked. Finally, the time for panicking was over, as the two brides were now standing right next to them. All eyes in the Shrine were on the foursome, and this knowledge made Inuyasha and Miroku increasingly uncomfortable. The minister at the wedding was none other than Kagome's dad, happily doing his job and seeing his daughter off. Sota Sr.:"Before we begin, I understand that each one of you has something to say to the other." The four nodded; Sango and Kagome started things off. Sango:"Miroku, I've been waiting for this day to happen for nearly five years, but now, it's finally happening. Life is an adventure, and it's one that I want to share with you. Maybe marriage won't be as exciting as demon slaying, but it will be more enjoyable. No more Naraku, no more fighting, no more hardship, no more suffering; just you and me. In short, I'm yours, now and forever." Kagome:"It was once said that people don't change. I disagree; you went from being an untrusting, self-serving oaf to being my brave samurai. A lot has happened in five years; we've suffered, we've laughed, we've cried, but one thing always remained: togetherness. We've always been by each other's side, even in the beginning when we couldn't stand each other. So, just remember, I'm your's and you're mine, always and forever."

There were a lot of "Aaahhh"'s coming from the crowd, but in the back Sesshomaru said to himself, "Someone please kill me now..." Koga said something similar, except he was thinking, "Great, the girls' speeches are done. Let's see how mutt-face and the monk embarrass themselves now!" Miroku:"I can't say anything different than you, Sango. Before I met you, I was everything that people would be repulsed of. A thief, a cheat, an all-around lowlife. But, you changed all that. You helped me to stop being such a lecher and a better person overall. Life in your purifying presence is something I have long desired to have, and now I do, forever and ever." Inuyasha:"Before I met you, Kagome, I didn't trust a single soul. I had to make my own place in the world, all alone. Then, you came along and saved me from myself. The second I met you, I felt I could trust you with my very soul; I was happy, and felt all warm and fuzzy at the very sight of you. It's true that I've changed; I can trust people, I can help people, and yes, now I suppose that I'm nothing more than your little puppy dog now, Kagome, and I'm here to stay."

The rest of the ceremony carried on like any wedding; after a few more "Aaaahh"'s, Kagome's father carried on with the remainder of the ceremony. Sota Sr.:"Do you, Kagome and Sango, take Inuyasha and Miroku to be your lawfully wedded husbands, whether in sickness or in health, rich or poor, and to be faithful for as long as you both shall live?" Kagome & Sango:"I do." Sota Sr.:"And do you, Inuyasha and Miroku, take Kagome and Sango to be your lawfully wedded wives, whether in sickness or in health, rich or poor, and to be faithful for as long as you both shall live?" Inuyasha & Miroku:"I do." Sota Sr.:"Then by the powers invested in me as a Shrine Keeper, I now pronounce you men and wives. You may kiss the brides."

Following that command, a long ten second kiss, and loud whoops, cheers, and claps. The two couples walked down the isle with smiles across their faces. Music and festivities began soon after that. With his knowledge of relatively decent music, Matt had helped to pick out the music for the aftermath festivities; it turned out that the music that was picked was a big success, as both Japanese and American music was mixed into the track selection. Several hours passed, and the new moon rose in the sky, forcing Inuyasha back into his human state; this was the precise reason the wedding was planned on this particular day. Soon after, the guests left and the couples headed for their bed rooms... The events that followed were similar to what happens on _any_ wedding night... This brought up a question by Sota; Sota:"Hey, it's not even 11:00 yet. Kagome and the others never crashed this early before..." Matt:"Well, today was a big day. Let's just say that we'll see them sometime tomorrow afternoon, and leave it at that. Come on, let's help with the clean up." With that, the wedding was complete and the two legendary couples were finally united in the fullest extent of the word. Now, all that remained was to recover and purify the missing Shikon Jewel. But, that could wait for another day or so...


	11. Old Foes Die Harder

Sometime around 1:00, Inuyasha and the others emerged from their rooms. When they did, Matt was there to greet them; with a sly tone, Matt asked, "So, you guys sleep well?" In reply, the group just chuckled a little bit and continued on with getting their lunch prepared. With his question "answered", Matt left it at that and also went to get fix himself some lunch. At the lunch table, Matt brought of the item that required urgent attention; Matt:"I hate to break up the post-celebration, but we still have something important to do; the Sacred Jewel is still out there, possibly already in somebody's hands." Inuyasha:"Yeah...I guess you've got a point... We should go back soon." Matt:"Now, now, don't you worry about it. You guys stay here and enjoy yourselves during the honeymoon, or whatever, for the next couple of days and I'll start the search on my own. In a day or two, you can just use the Super Truck and come back later."

Miroku:"But...you're the only one who knows how to work that contraption." Matt:"It's not as complicated as you think. I'm sure that Kagome could drive it if she had too, but there's also an auto-pilot on it. All you have to do is type in a password and a destination." Kagome:"Are you sure? We started this quest five years ago, we should see the conclusion..." Matt:"No, no, don't you guys worry about a thing. The Jewel could be anywhere in the world at this point, and I can't sense the Jewel like you can, despite the fact that there are four souls trapped inside. Oh, get a pen. The password for the Super Truck is 'hero time' without any spaces. Then, when asked, set the destination to Dimension 5." Sango:"Are you absolutely sure that's ok?" Matt:"Indisputably. Now, you guys just relax and enjoy yourselves over the next few days. Alright?"

The group smiled in reply, giving him a silent "thank you". The guests happened to be in the vicinity at the same time, so Matt said, "I'm going to be leaving soon. If you want to return to the Feudal Era now, then be ready to go in a couple of minutes." Sesshomaru:"Actually, I've grown somewhat fond of this era. It is foreign, but calming and pleasing at the same time. I shall leave with Inuyasha and the others." Koga:"Guess that's one thing that the mutts and I can agree on. I kind of like the hustle and bustle of this modern age. Hell, maybe I can take over that 'Hero Time' while you're gone." Matt chuckled, then replied, "Fine then. You guys enjoy yourselves as well. If I'm not back in two days or so, it means that I haven't located the jewel. In that event, I'll meet all of you in Kaede's village. Wish me luck!" With that, Matt was inside his Super Truck and one his way back to the demonic Feudal Era.

Once Matt got back to the Feudal Era, he sent his Truck back to Kagome's home in Dimension 5.2. Matt:"Well...I better get started." So, he transformed and started to fly all over the land searching for the Jewel. Whenever Matt would detect a powerful soul, he was descend to the ground and see if the soul had the Jewel in it's possession. Though some demons he encountered were powerful, none of them had the Sacred Jewel. No matter how much Matt searched, nor how many demons he confronted, all of his efforts proved to be 100% fruitless.

Eventually, the dawn of the third day rose in the sky. Matt:"Dammit. No luck at all. I haven't searched the entire world, but I've searched just about everywhere that we've been in the past few months; you'd think I'd have found at least **one #%*in' clue**! Hmm...I suppose there is one place that I didn't check yet, but the Forest of Sorrow is the last place I want to visit again." So, reluctantly, Matt started to head for the Forest of Sorrow. After he'd flown for a while, he eventually came to the cursed forest and descended into the depths. Upon landing, he returned to his normal state. Matt:"[Inner] I've already broken the curse in my Brawn state, so it shouldn't affect me while I remain here. There's got to be at least one demon who still resides in this damned place..."

Matt walked around inside the forest for a few hours, not finding anyone or anything. Matt noticed that it was about 12:00 noon outside of the forest, based on the sun's position in the sky. Matt:"Hmm...still not one damn clue. It's almost noon; I better head back to Kaede's village to meet the rest of the group." Matt started to walk in the opposite direction, when for a very brief moment, he sensed a soul nearby. Matt:"What the hell? The presence is gone..." That was only for a second; quickly after the spirit faded, Matt was slashed across the chest, leaving several horrendously deep gashes in his chest! Matt bleed profusely, despite his incredible healing power! Matt coughed and gagged for air as he clutched his chest and desperately searched for what had just attacked him. The answer to that question in Matt's head was soon answered; GB:"Hello, Matt. Long time, no see."

Matt:"[Cough] Giga Bowser! What the hell?" GB:"You wouldn't happen to be looking for **this**, now would you?" With that, Giga Bowser showed Matt the elusive Sacred Jewel in his hand! Matt:"What the... How in the hell did you get that?" GB:"Well, I've had it nearly the whole time. You see, Naraku promised to show me how to use the Sacred Jewel to grant my wish for enough power to destroy you, if I agreed to be in his service. After granting me demonic powers, Naraku taught me how to create barriers. We both placed a barrier around the hidden Jewel, so that girl you've befriended wouldn't be able to find it. After that, all we had to do was to destroy your new friends. That plan would've been a cinch to accomplish, if you'd stayed dead here in the Forest of Sorrow like you were supposed to. But, that unyielding 'must protect my friends' part of you just never stops; you broke free of the forest's power, defeated Moriamaru, and then returned and aided that dog-eared freak in destroying my former master, not that I really care. Your one mistake in that entire fight was allowing me live."

Matt:"I'm sick of this never-ending grudge match of our's! I wanted it to stop, I wanted to let myself and my friends live in peace, away from evil bastards like yourself." GB:"'I want to bury the hatchet' he said. Ha! Did you really think that I'd ever rest until the snot-nosed whelp who dethroned me was dead! Never! And now, thanks to this Jewel, I'm twice as powerful as I was before! The best part is, I'm just holding on to it, and I've become that strong. What do you think will happen when I actually make my wish?" Matt:"Heh! As if. Naraku is dead and he can no longer tell you how to make that damned wish of your's come true!" GB:"You'd like that to be the case, wouldn't you, you miserable little punk!" Matt:"Huh?" GB:"Just before his demise, Naraku transferred a single cell of his body into mine, keeping his spirit alive for just a little longer. Through this cell, he told me how to use the Jewel properly and asked me to use the Jewel to bring him back to life. Hahaha. I 'thanked' him for the information by dispelling his worthless corpse from my body and watched his last cell disintegrate into dust!"

With that, Giga Bowser clinched his fist over the Jewel and shut his eyes. Matt watched as an impure, black light emanated from the Jewel and enveloped the evil monster. When the light stopped, Matt noticed that the Sacred Jewel was pitch black; blacker and more tainted than it had ever been before! Giga Bowser was completely changed; his skin became blue and covered by crystals of Adamant and ice. His hair turned to a light blue, his spikes became Adamant, and his eyes changed to a bright green. His left eye reformed and glowed with a tinge of fury! Matt:"Giga Bowser...what the hell have you done to yourself?" Giga Bowser's voice became deeper and exponentially more evil sounding after the bizarre metamorphosis; GB:"The prefix 'Giga' no longer applies! I am beyond every creature that ever existed thanks to the power of this Tainted Sacred Jewel. I am **Omega Bowser**!"

Matt was momentarily stunned and unable to move as he watched the transformation. Omega wasted no time in lashing out at his arch enemy, slashing Matt across the chest again. The gashes that were created several times deeper than the first set that Matt received from Giga Bowser, almost slicing him in two! Omega's dramatically increased strength set Matt flying away at tremendous velocity, causing him to smash through tree after tree. Matt's flight path sent him flying upward, towards a mountain in the background. Soon afterwards, Matt plowed through the mountain, as well. The initial impact knocked him out instantly, and his flight continued without his knowledge.

Meanwhile, Kagome and the others had followed Matt's instructions on how to use the Super Truck and traveled back to Kaede's village. Upon getting there, the group took a short look around and didn't find Matt anywhere. Sango:"Hmm...that's strange. He said that he'd meet us here in the village around this time. I wonder if something is keeping him?" Everyone soon got their answer; the group heard a rumbling coming from the direction of the mountain forest, which got louder and louder as time went by. Inuyasha:"What the hell is that noise?" Suddenly, the saw the unconscious body of Matt come flying from the forest, covered in blood. After coming into view, the body smashed through a house, then bounced along the ground several times before smashing through a second house. Finally, after bouncing twice more, Matt became impaled on a gnarled branch on Inuyasha's favorite tree!

Rin was the first to see him impaled on the tree; Rin:"Oh no! That nice man who saved Kohaku and I! Is...he dead?" Kohaku:"I don't know, Rin, but you remember the day he saved us? He said that he'd received much worse wounds than a simple stab with a scythe and that he could heal quickly. So, maybe..." Everyone's fears were put to rest when suddenly, they heard a gasping breath come from the tree. With a small pulse, Matt's healing factor forced his body off of the branch and falling to the ground. The group rushed over to his aid, but, after coughing up blood twice, Matt was back on his feet and all his wounds remedied.

Ayame:"Are you ok?" Matt:"...I'll live." Kagome:"What on Earth could damage _you_ that badly? You came flying through the forest, two houses, and bounced on the ground more times than I can count!" Matt:"That right? Last I remember I hit a mountain..." Sango:"You were sent flying through a mountain! What in heaven's name is that strong?" Matt:"Omega." Miroku:"Who?" Matt:"Omega Bowser. Naraku's influence didn't end with his death. Giga Bowser told me that Naraku had infused a single cell of his body into him just before he bit the dust, keeping his consciousness alive a while longer. In return for revealing the secret of the Sacred Jewel to him, Naraku ordered Giga Bowser to use the Jewel to bring him back to life. But, Giga Bowser betrayed Naraku and expelled him. Then Giga Bowser used the Sacred Jewel to transform himself into Omega Bowser, a creature of immeasurable power. His skin is composed of Adamant and ice, and his strength and demonic powers have increased several fold. Worst of all, I'm probably the only one who has even a _slim_ chance of defeating Omega in his current state!" As everybody groaned amongst themselves, suddenly Omega appeared before them after teleporting! Omega:"My ears are burning! You talking about me?"

The instant Omega Bowser appeared, Matt pressed a button on his Key Chain. Suddenly, the Super Truck roared to life and disappeared. Omega:"Hahahahahaha! What good will that do you? Hmph. Doesn't matter; you and your friends are as good as dead!" Matt:"Leave them out of this, Omega! Your fight is with _**me**_!" Omega:"Hahahaha. There you go again; [Mocking] 'Oh please! Leave my friends out of this! Don't kill them! Fight me instead!' You are so nauseatingly predictable! As if I'd acquiesce to your request! Hahahahaha! No, I want you to suffer and know the greatest kind of despair humanly and inhumanly possible! Now, die!"

Omega fired a huge blast of demonic energy out of his mouth, which completely enveloped Matt and disintegrated his body and the ground beneath him! To those who dodged the attack and looked on, there was nothing left of Matt! Angrily, Matt's new friends counterattacked, but it did little good; even Sesshomaru's Bakusaiga did nothing! Omega:"So, you're the older mutt of the family, eh? Your sword is powerful and can seal regenerative capabilities in order to slowly dissolve your enemies. But, that won't work if you can't even penetrate their skin!" After that, Sesshomaru was smacked down out of the air. The force caused him to slide along the ground for sometime. Rin:"Lord Sesshomaru!" As Rin ran to Sesshomaru's side, Omega Bowser got an evil grin on his face...

Omega:"If he hasn't emerged from the ground yet, then your friend is as good as dead. But, I know how I can make him suffer in death as well!" After mumbling some words, four purple beams shot from Omega's body. Each beam hit one of the women in the group and teleported them to Omega's side. Inuyasha:"KAGOME!" Inuyasha proceeded to bullrush Omega Bowser, but was stopped by a Sacred Arrow hitting him in the shoulder! Inuyasha:"Huh? Kagome? Why are you protecting him!" Omega:"Hahahahaha! There is no greater way to make my enemy suffer than to make his _friends_ suffer! Your wife can no longer remember who you are and she is under my control! I would suggest that, unless you wish for her to hit your heart next, you stay back! Hahahaha! The same goes for you monk, and the wolf too. Your wives no longer have a single memory of you in their minds and are unceasingly loyal to _me_ now. As for the child, older mutt, she doesn't remember anything about her 'father' anymore! So, what's it going to be? Let me escape with them in my servitude, or follow to avenge your fallen friend, just to be struck down by your loved ones? Hahahahaha!"


	12. Heroic Rebirth

All of the men stood frozen with resentful glares on their faces. Omega:"That's a good bunch of loving family members...ta ta!" With that, Omega and the women disappeared via teleportation. Once they were gone, Inuyasha's anger exploded; Inuyasha:"DAMMIT! That lousy son of a bitch is going to pay for what he's done to Kagome, if it's the last thing I do!" Miroku:"Calm down, Inuyasha! I feel the exact same way, but simply running after that monster without a plan is suicide. His body is made of Adamant and he is inconceivably powerful. I no longer have the Windtunnel to suck him up into; even if we were able to locate him, it would take the combined efforts of everyone here just to lay a scratch on him."

Koga:"I don't care! He's got my woman in the palm of his hand, and we wolf demons never abandon our kin!" Sesshomaru:"Stop your barking, all of you! There is but one way to defeat that monster, and that is to send him straight to Hell with the power of the Tetsusaiga." Inuyasha:"What the hell are you rambling on about, Sesshomaru?" Sesshomaru:"Do you not remember father's last wish? That I give the Tensaiga's power to your sword? With the Tetsusaiga's black state, you are able to unleash a portal to the underworld that will suck that Omega creature into it. Unfortunately, as I suspected, you haven't trained to use that ability effectively, have you little brother?" Inuyasha:"Grrrr. I never saw the need to...I always just used the Windscar to blow my enemies to bits, and the only time I was able to actually use the portal, for its desired purpose, was when you and I escaped from Hell ourselves. But, if I have to use the Black Moon Gates technique to save Kagome, then that's what I'm going to do!"

Shippo:"You've activated that technique once before, Inuyasha. The portal that gets generated pulls the enemy into Hell with the strength of a tornado. But, you've seen how strong Omega is. The portal's strength isn't going to be enough...you're going to need some kind of extra external force to send that monster through the threshold..." Behind them, everyone heard the sound of earth being moved; a few seconds later, they all saw a skeletal hand emerge from the Earth! The hand was quickly followed the remainder of a skeleton; after only a single second more, the skeleton became a shiny steel color, gained an extra set of arms, and grew in size. The group quickly recognized it as their fallen friend, because Matt's Dragon's Soul still shined around the skeleton! But, they also noticed that the Mace that usually extended from his arms was exposed, having no skin to brace itself against. The Mace fell to the ground and scattered onto the ground. Koga:"Jeez. Even with that regeneration ability of his, he took such a huge hit that he can't recover the whole way!"

Koga was quickly proven wrong, however; golden skin started to form at the feet of the metal skeleton, periodically dark black pads covered in spikes would encase the skin. As the others watched, eventually the regeneration reached Matt's torso, revealing a black shape going up his chest and down his back. Matt's arms all had large spiked pads that went half way up his forearms. Finally, the head reformed on Matt's skeleton revealing it to be a mask with a black outline around his blood-red eyes! As for the Mace, it started to float in the air and combine into something totally new! The Mace reconfigured and attached to Matt's back, in the form of an axe. The Axe was made completely of adamantium and had adamantium spikes extending off the edges of the axe. Matt's outer appearance had changed to that of Spawn, and he gained his voice as well. In addition, a few of his powers increased in strength! Brawn the Eternal Guardian was reborn!

Shippo:"What kept you, you fool! We've been worried sick and that Omega creep has escaped, with our friends in tow!" Matt:"Hey! Even for me, it's tough to regenerate when you've been reduced to nothing more than a couple of cells! But, that doesn't matter anymore. You said that Omega took Kagome, Sango, Rin, and Ayame?" Koga:"Yeah. While you were 'dead', he took over their minds and enslaved them. It's a pretty potent spell too; Kagome didn't even seem to be _trying_ to resist as she shot Inuyasha in the shoulder." Matt's eyes narrowed with fury; Matt:"This time that loathsome bastard has gone too far! He's doing this to try to make me suffer in death, isn't he!" Miroku:"Indeed. He said, 'There is no greater way to make my enemy suffer than to make his friends suffer!', then disappeared into the forest, taken our loved ones with him." Matt:"That egotistical mother#%*er still thinks that he can hide from me while he's within range of my Soul Sense! He's about 50 miles away, sitting and waiting for all of you to come. And so you shall, but first he's going to get a rude awakening. Follow me, we're getting our friends back!" So, Matt and the others tore off into the forest in Omega Bowser's direction!

Off in the distance, Omega said to himself, "Hmm...I expected a confrontation by now, at least from that impertinent half-demon mongrel." With that, he looked down at his 'dolls' and said, "Hahaha. I guess you don't mean a damn thing to them after all!" A short time later, the heroes arrived in a thicket of bushes, just outside of Omega's stronghold. Kohaku:"Omega seems to be invincible, but everything has a weakness. Be it physical or mental, everything has a weakness." Miroku:"I thought I told you to stay in Kaede's village, Kohaku. I realize that Sango is in danger, but rest assured that we will save her. It's too dangerous here; Sango just got you back, she doesn't need to bury you again."

Kohaku:"Well, I am worried about my sister, but you see...Rin...I..." Matt:"I see...if that's the case, then it would be insulting for us to tell you to go home. Back to business; if there is one thing that I learned, it's that no matter how strong a spell is, there is **always** a way to dispel it. Omega's spell seems to be unbreakable, but there is one way to break it's hold on them." Inuyasha:"What is it? TELL ME!" Matt:"Although they are very strongly suppressed, their spirits are still in their bodies. Probably the only way to break that spell that Omega has placed on them is to remind them of _why_ they fell in love with you in the first place. Do that, and they should return to normal. You guys focus on getting your loved ones back in your arms; I'm going to 'discuss' things with Omega."

With that the group dispersed and Matt made a head-on charge on Omega. Matt:"OMEGA!" Omega Bowser turned just in time to get slammed in the face with an adamantium fist. Matt did a right hook, followed by a left and a double-uppercut. Instead of simply doing a double right hook, Matt grabbed Justice, his axe, and slashed Omega in the face with great force. After three slashes, Matt roundhouse kicked Omega, sending him flying a little ways into the forest. Immediately afterwards, Matt heard four female voices say, "Master!" All four attacked him in rapid succession, but Matt was able to use Justice to block the attacks. First a Sacred Arrow was fired at his chest, then Hiraikotsu to his left side. Ayame attempted to use her **Leaves & Wind** attack, but the adamantium axe withstood the assault with ease. Matt looked down to see Rin wielding a magical, evil sword; the sword, though offensively powerful, was designed with weak steel. This, consequently, made it exceedingly easy for Justice to break the sword into pieces.

Matt:"Come on out, Omega! I'm not through with you yet!" Omega:"Why do you refuse to enter paradise and leave me to conquer all? And how are alive? I completely vaporized you!" Matt:"You vaporized me alright, but you missed a piece! And that's all I need to regenerate from injury. Now, you're in big trouble, you piece of shit! You inflicted upon me a mortal wound, but I recovered from it..." Omega:"Which means that that Saiyan DNA that courses through your veins made you stronger than ever when you recovered! That's why you look so different!" Matt:"I gave you one last chance to live the last time we fought, and this is how you decided to repay me...by turning my friends against one another and attempting to slay me. I'm through showing mercy to you, Omega! This time...**all bets are off**!"

Omega:"Heh...is that so? By all means, lash out with all your might. But, will you risk your friends to do it?" Using his magic, Omega placed his four captives in front of himself as a shield. True that they were immeasurably loyal to Omega in their hypnotized states, but the women still desired to live; they begged Omega to not use them as shields and squinted their eyes shut waiting for Matt to attack. To their surprise, they heard no noise, no signs of attack, and opened their eyes again. What they saw was Matt and the rest of the group just standing with their arms crossed, not moving a muscle.

Matt:"Heh, heh, heh. New dog, same tricks. You may be new and improved, Omega, but you still don't want to dirty your own hands or risk death." Kagome:"Don't let them talk about you like that, Master!" Sango:"Yes. Let us down, Master, and we will deal this group of interlopers." Omega:"Very well, I have some payback to deal out anyway." Per Omega's wishes, each of the women went straight for their "former" lover and attacked him. When Sesshomaru saw Rin going after Kohaku, he decided to aid Matt in his upcoming battle, leaving the others to fend for themselves.

Matt:"Ahhhh, did I strike a nerve, Omega?" Omega:"I'd shut my mouth if I were you! You may be stronger than you were, but I have nearly impenetrable skin, the strength of 3 million men, and all of Naraku's demonic power in addition to my own!" Matt:"Is that supposed to scare me, Omega? I've beaten you before, even when I was** weaker** than you!" Omega:"Aren't we forgetting that your friends were fighting along side you those times? But, they can't get here and your new friends are a little preoccupied at the moment!" Sesshomaru:"[Coming up behind Matt] The past matters not. But, at the present time, you are holding my daughter hostage, and I want her back!" Sesshomaru leaped at Omega, this time accompanied by Matt. The two slashed at different areas on Omega's body, but neither Bakusaiga nor Justice was able to penetrate Omega's Adamant coated skin!


	13. A Test Of Bonds

At the moment this was happening, Inuyasha was desperately trying to think of what it was that made Kagome love him. He thought of two different things that might have been the cause, or at least the kick-starter of their relationship. As he leaped back, making Kagome follow him, he figured out how to make her remember. As she aimed an arrow at him, Kagome said, "Run and never return, half-demon. I don't wish to hurt you, but I will to protect my master." Inuyasha:"[Inner] That was it! [Audible] Kagome, I'm so sick of everybody telling me to run away and hide! I'm not going anywhere, not without **you**! And I'm going to protect you, so get used to it!" Inuyasha noticed a severe change in Kagome's expression, as if she was trying to remember him. She did continue to point an arrow at him, but Inuyasha could tell that he had gotten through to her, at least a little.

Kagome:"How...how do you know my name, half-demon? I've never seen you before in my life, yet you know me and seem to care! Why?" Inuyasha walked toward Kagome slowly, watching her trembling trigger finger closely. As he approached, with a gentle look on his face, she seemed to get more and more disconcerted. She trembled with increasing visibility, finally shouting, "Stay back!" At this point, Inuyasha was standing right in front of her. In one motion, he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up into the air slightly, as a hug, as he'd done in the past.

Not recognizing the action in her hypnotized state, she screamed and started to weal on Inuyasha's head. Inuyasha:"[Inner] This isn't quite what I was expecting, but if she grabs my ears, hopefully that can jar her memory!" The one memory that Omega couldn't fully rid from Kagome's mind was Inuyasha's dog ears; as she hit him in his head, she touched his ears multiple times. Eventually, much to Inuyasha's relief, she started to rub them, as she did the first time they met and on a few other occasions. Inuyasha let her go when he heard Kagome say, "My...little...puppy dog." Inuyasha:"Kagome! You're back! Thank goodness you're back!" He said this as he hugged her tightly; tighter than even the night she'd been abducted. As she started to cry, she said, "Inuyasha. It was terrible! I could see you, but I couldn't remember who you were! I threatened you, attacked you, and even hurt you! I'm sorry." Inuyasha:"It's just a scratch; that doesn't even matter anymore. My most important possession was missing, now it's back." With great joy, they kissed.

Miroku was having the same problem dealing with Sango. He by no means wanted to harm her in any way, but he also had to defend himself, should she attack him. Miroku:"[Inner] What can I do to make her remember me? Hmm..." As Sango approached him, she said, "You should've stayed out of my master's business, Monk. If you don't leave now, you and your axe-wielding friend will be eliminated." Miroku:"Come, come now, Sango. Considering that you're a demon slayer, how can you slay a man of the cloth?" Sango:"...I'd rather not, but if my master wishes it, then I will." Miroku:"I was rather under the impression that he wanted you to kill me, yet you gave me the opportunity to run. Haha, that must mean you like me."

As Miroku grinned widely, Sango took his bait; her expression changed from evil and angry, to just angry. Sango got right up in his face and shouted, "Do you have stones for brains, you lecher! Hmm?" True to his lecherous nature, Miroku began to stroke his possessed wife's bottom. Her reaction was also the same as it'd always been; Sango slapped Miroku forcefully across the face! Miroku:"Oh, how I remember this pain..." Sango:"Could you possibly have worse timing, Miroku? Here we are, in the middle of a battle, and you're fondling my butt! Jeez, sometimes I wonder why I fell in love with you in the first place!"

Miroku:"Looks like I finally managed to get through to you." Sango's tough defense dropped and she broke down and cried. Sango:"I'm so weak minded! I can't believe it! I could see you, but I couldn't remember my favorite lecher at all...and I almost killed you! How...how did you break Omega's spell?" Miroku:"I simply got you to remember what made you like me in the first place. So worry not, Sango. You're back to yourself now, that's all that matters." No longer noticing or caring about their surroundings, the two smooched and hugged.

Koga was having the most difficult time of all; Ayame was slightly less resistant to Omega's spell, and consequently, started to attack Koga straight from the get-go. As Koga leaped backwards continuously, dodging Ayame's Leaves & Wind, he thought of the first time that he'd met Ayame. Koga:"[Inner] The first time that I met Ayame, she was just a little girl. She'd been injured and I saved her, then carried her off to safety. It was the supposed lunar rainbow that day and I said that I'd make her my wife someday. Maybe if I can somehow recreate the scene, it will jog her memory!"

Ayame continued to attack and Koga thought about enacting his plan, but to do it, he would have to hurt her! Choosing the lesser of two evils, Koga began to counterattack, saying, "Alright, Ayame. I didn't want to fight, but you brought this on yourself!" Koga was physically stronger than his wife, but she was much faster and more agile than he was, considering that she was able to match him when he was powered up by Sacred Jewel Shards long ago. Koga:"If I can just get close to her..." Ayame saw through this plan, and was able to wound him with her magical, razor-sharp Leaves. Koga:"Damn, she's way too fast! Alright, if I can't get close to her, I'll turn Ayame's attack against her!"

She unleashed her Leaves & Wind once more, and Koga leaped out of the way. This time, Ayame used her limited ability to control the wind attached to her attack, and sent it flying after Koga again. Koga ran away, leading the magical Leaves back to their owner; since she had to concentrate on controlling the wind, Ayame wasn't moving at all. True to his plan, when Koga leaped over Ayame's head, the leaves inflicted a multitude of cuts on her torso, arms, and legs.

The wounds weren't fatal in the least, but rather painful. Ayame didn't resist in the slightest when Koga cradled her in his arms and walked into the woods, away from the fight. As she was being carried, she labored to say, "Why do you help me after I attacked you?" Koga:"Well, Ayame, I was thinking of making you my wife someday." She gasped as a memory shot back into her head. Koga:"And it's the lunar rainbow tonight. So, what do you say?" Her memories restored, she said, "That's a bit unnecessary, don't you think, considering that I'm already married to you?" Koga smiled and kissed her. Koga:"Glad to have my queen back. You rest now; I need to go help the others with that overgrown freak of nature!" Ayame nodded and shut her eyes, drifting into a light slumber. After bracing her against a tree, Koga ran back towards the battlefield.

In terms of injury, Kohaku had the least to worry about, since Rin's sword was destroyed by Matt earlier. The only problem was, Kohaku didn't have the slightest idea as to how to make Rin remember who he was! True that he liked her, and she seemed to like him back, but he didn't know what made her like him. Kohaku:"[Inner] What am I going to do? The only thing that I have going for me is the fact that, while we were on the run together, I was always very protective of Rin. Maybe, that's how I can bring her back to herself!" Rin ran at Kohaku, grabbed hold of him, and tried to wrestle him to the ground. But, he was stronger than she was, and thus, was able to stay on his feet.

Getting a quick idea, Kohaku put his arms around Rin as if he was going to wrestle back. Kohaku:"Hey, Rin. Rin! Calm down!" Rin:"Unhand me!" Kohaku:"I don't want to fight! I just want to know what it is that's troubling you so that I can help out." Rin:"Why should I tell you what goes on in my life, or my master's?" Kohaku:"Well, because I'm your friend, and I want to protect you and help you whenever and however I can. So, please, Rin, tell me if anything is bothering you." Rin's grip around Kohaku loosened slightly and changed into a hug. Rin:"You were always there for me, weren't you, Kohaku?" Kohaku:"Yes, and I intend to keep it that way, if I may." Rin:"Of course." Kohaku:"Thanks, Rin. But, for now, we need to help the others battle that monster." With that, Kohaku ran back towards the battlefield.


	14. Regrouped Counterattack

Meanwhile, Matt and Sesshomaru continued their attacks against Omega, but nothing they did scratched him. Sesshomaru's Bakusaiga would be able to kill Omega if it could make contact with his skin, but neither he nor Matt were able to penetrate the Adamant covering of Omega's flesh! Matt:"Damn it! If brute force won't pierce that son of a bitch's skin, then maybe a bit of dragonic energy will do it!" Matt shot out a Dragonscar, which struck Omega Bowser dead on, but didn't leave even a mark! Sesshomaru:"You! How did you use the Windscar!" Matt:"Now's not the time, Sesshomaru, but let's just say that I indirectly share your bloodline. More importantly, I guess I'll just have to try a bigger dose of energy! Dragonic Onslaught!"

Dragonic Onslaught was an improved form of Dragonic Backlash, possessing the power of 35 Atomic Bombs and was 10x5 in area! Omega counteracted with a demonic blast of his own, but, true to it's predecessor, Dragonic Onslaught started to absorb the demonic energy, empowering Matt's blast! When the maximum amount of energy was absorbed, the blast was twice as strong and 30x20 in area! Despite Omega's incredible power, the fully charged blast overwhelmed his own and enveloped him. Unfortunately for Matt and company, the Adamant covering on Omega's skin held on vigorously; only a slight scorching afflicted Omega!

Omega:"Hahahaha! How the mighty protector has fallen! Was that your best shot!" Matt:"Unfortunately...yes." Some of the others were beginning to return to the battle, having saved their significant other from Omega's spell. Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, and Sango were still missing in action, having temporarily forgotten about the battle in their moment of bliss. This moment of bliss was soon spoiled by Sesshomaru; Sesshomaru:"**Half-breed**! Stop making out with your wife and summon the Black Moon Gates!" After being forcefully snapped back into reality, the two couples dashed for the battlefield.

Along the way, Inuyasha transformed Tetsusaiga into its black state, about to unleash the Black Moon Gates technique. Before he could though, Matt stopped him saying, "Don't! It'll be a waste unless we can somehow break his armor and weaken him a little!" Kagome:"Alright, hit the mark!" She shot a Sacred Arrow at Omega, but it didn't affect him at all! Omega:"Um, um, um! You may have been able to defeat Moriamaru that way, but through the Sacred Jewel's power, I've become immune to your Sacred Powers. Hmph! On that note, I don't know how your husbands managed to break the spell on you, but it doesn't matter anymore. Even the almighty Eternal Guardian isn't able to penetrate my armor and I'm impervious to all damage from any of your attacks! What can you possibly hope to do!"

At about that moment, Matt started to sense familiar souls. Matt grinned and muttered to his allies, "Help has arrived." A short distance away, in the woods, everyone heard a loud clap. Immediately following was a huge wall of ice shooting out of the forest! Omega:"Huh? Gaaahhhhh!" The ice wall struck Omega from behind, covering every last inch of his body, then continued onward. When the ice wall had gone, everyone noticed that Omega's Adamant covering was gone! Just as suddenly as the ice wall had come, from the opposite direction a tornado emerged! The tornado struck Omega's now unprotected chest and sent him flying!

Before Omega could stand back up, two new figures joined Matt and the others. One appeared to be a monster made of diamonds, the other a ninja. The two figures were Matt's friends D.C. and Garret, respectively. D.C. was a mix of Mewtwo, Sub-Zero, and Diamondhead, creating Giga Cooler, a master of telekinetic arts and Crystal Alchemy. Garret on the other hand, was a fusion of Link, Fox, and Megaman X in a combination of the Ultimate and Shadow armors. Meta-Finx, as he was called, was an expert of ninjitsu and all kinds of weaponry, including bombs and swords. With these new additions to the force against Omega Bowser, the odds looked better by the minute!

Matt:"You know, about twenty minutes ago would've been nice!" Garret:"Hey, what're you gonna do? Better late than never!" Suddenly, Omega emerged from the forest, with a head-sized wound in his chest. About a second later, the Adamant covering reformed on Omega's skin! Matt:"It seems that I was right. The Jewel may have transformed and strengthened you, Omega, but underneath that covering is still nothing more than Giga Bowser!" Omega:"Before today is done, I'm going to make you eat those words! Hmm?" With a little telekinesis, the diamond monster lifted his larger counterpart into the air. D.C.:"Hello, Giga. Long time, no see!" Omega:"Grrr. Dave...I figured at some point you'd join the fight. This is turning into quite the reunion...but even Mewtwo's telekinetic powers won't be able to stop me." D.C.:"The name's Giga Cooler now. Go ahead and sue me for **borrowing your name**!" D.C. prepared to slam Omega into the ground, but the empowered creature quickly broke free of his telekinetic grasp. Omega roared and fired a demonic blast of energy at D.C., but Garret got in the way and activated his Triforce Barrier. Holding true to its **Reflector** origins, the Barrier sent Omega's blast straight back at him!

The blast returned to its master, and temporarily blinded him! Matt:"D.C.! Now!" D.C. clapped his hands together and slammed the ground, sending out a radial blast of diamond-hard ice! Garret:"Everyone get back!" Soon, the blinded Omega Bowser was struck by D.C.'s Crystalline Slam. Omega roared and his covering disappeared for a second time! Koga:"Talk about ironic! The guy's weakness is ice, something his body's made of!" Seeing opportunity, all the heroes attacked the weakened tyrant; Inuyasha and Kagome combined their powered for a Sacred Adamant Backlash Wave. This blast was quickly mixed with a Dragonscar, one of Garret's Holy Shots, and one of Sesshomaru's Dragon Strikes.

However, even without his Adamant covering, Omega was still difficult to injure; this devastating combination of attacks inflicted only minor wounds! Before the covering regenerated once more, Koga rushed Omega and kicked him behind the knee. This caused him to stumble, making it easy for Kohaku to throw his chained scythe into the joint of Omega's knee. Matt used his Dragon Chains to inflict a wound on the opposite knee with Justice. Immediately afterwards, the Adamant covering reformed; however, Omega's movement was impaired slightly from his wounds! Omega:"Hahahaha! Is that your best! I withstood that effortlessly, even without my Adamant covering! You'll never win unless you get serious..." Matt:"Damn that shmuck! D.C., you've got to weaken his armor again; another volley or two from all of us will weaken Omega enough that the Black Moon Gates will probably be able to do their job!"

D.C.:"Got it!" With another clap of his hands, D.C. summoned one of his Ice Walls, a straight-shot version of the Crystalline Slam. At this point, though, Omega realized that D.C. was the only one that could temporarily rid him of his Adamant layer and did everything he could to stay out of D.C.'s line of fire. Inuyasha:"Dammit! He's not a dumb as he appears to be. Looks like we'll have to get him to hold still for a little bit...you up for a game of tag, wolf?" Koga:"You're on, Mutt-face!"

Koga and Inuyasha ran towards Omega, each from a different side. Speed-wise, both of them were faster than Omega, which enabled them to concentrate their moves at his vital areas; Koga and Inuyasha were aiming their attacks at the back of Omega's legs, in hopes of making him trip, and thus, be vulnerable to D.C.'s Ice Wall. Koga leaped into the air, and with a powerful spinning kick, struck Omega in his armored face. Koga:"Tag! You're it! Now, Mutt!" Inuyasha:"Windscar!" Inuyasha's Windscar hit Omega right in the back of his knee with just enough force to make him stumble backwards slightly. Sesshomaru saw opportunity and aimed a Dragon Strike at the same knee. With both the Windscar and Dragon Strike hitting the same knee at the same time, Omega Bowser fell flat on his back. D.C.:"I think it's about time you cooled off, big guy!" With that, D.C. unleashed an Ice Wall, and temporarily shattered Omega's Adamant shielding, leaving the tyrannical monster open to attack!

Omega slammed the three demons away with cataclysmic force and got back onto his feet. As soon as he did, Matt body-checked him in the gut, sending him flying to the dark forest. Matt flew in after him, into the blackness. Omega looked up to see Matt floating above him, and then just disappear! Matt used his Dragonic Cloak ability, his power to turn completely invisible while in the dark! Matt:"What's the matter, Omega? Can't see? There's a saying I'd like you to get familiar with: 'When in Rome, do like the Romans'. You like to fight dirty; I normally don't, but in your case, Omega, I'll make an exception!" While in his stealthy state, Matt unleashed a frenzy to attacks on Omega, unceasingly striking his unarmored body. Culminating the assault was a rapid-fire flurry of slashes from Justice. Omega tried to strike back, blindly swinging into the shadows while roaring with pain. Before unleashing a final, imperceptible roundhouse kick to Omega's face, Matt said, "In the words of Mohammad Ali, 'Your eyes can't hit what your eyes **can't see'**!"

Omega was covered in countless wounds when he made his way back to the lit up clearing. About 30 seconds after Matt returned to the clearing, he reverted to visibility. Matt:"Inuyasha! Now! Summon the Black Moon Gates!" Inuyasha:"Finally! Black Moon Gates!" Tetsusaiga changed to its black form and, when Inuyasha slammed it on the ground, a portal resembling a crescent moon appeared behind Omega Bowser. The portal began to suck Omega into it but, unfortunately, Omega's Adamant returned and restored his strength, despite the great amount of wounds underneath the plating!

Miroku:"Oh no! Despite the innumerable amount of damages he's received, Omega Bowser is still standing and he's withstanding the force of the Black Moon Gates!" Kohaku:"Sister, how do we defeat something that won't stay down?" Sango:"I don't know, Kohaku, but you'd better stay back. I don't want you hurt." Matt:"There is only one way to deal with something like that..." Garret:"Yeah, you got that right." Koga:"And what would that be?" D.C.:"That should be obvious...you hit the son of a bitch until it breaks!"

Matt looked towards either of his friends, and they gave him a nod of approval. Matt picked up D.C. and hurled him towards Omega, while Garret performed the Nova Tempest. Immediately following, Matt flew towards the monster. Omega fired his most powerful demonic blast at D.C., but he used his Mirror Body to block the blast and deflect it away from himself. D.C.:"Go back to Hell and stay there this time!" D.C. collided with Omega's head, while Matt and Garret struck his torso; all three heroes hit the monstrosity at the same time. Omega flew backwards into the portal, but he was still fighting to stay out of it. The tornado released as an after-effect of the Nova Tempest continued to push Omega into the core of the Black Moon Gates. Eventually, the cyclone subsided. Unfortunately, Omega still remained partially outside of the portal!

Matt:"Still haven't had enough!" Matt flew up to Omega and cold-clocked him. At the same time, Inuyasha called upon everyone to unleash a final strike; his Windscar, Sesshomaru's Dragon Strike, a Sacred Arrow from Kagome, and Miroku and Sango combined their staff and Hiraikotsu, respectively. After hitting Omega, the staff/Hiraikotsu combo bounced off the Adamant and flew back to their owners. Meanwhile, the demonic/Sacred energy blasts continued to push Omega deeper and deeper into the portal; Omega wasn't harmed in the least because of his armor, but when the blasts finally subsided, only his head and right arm remained outside the gateway!

Unfavorably, though, Omega grabbed Matt out of the air with his massive hand as the blasts struck him! Omega:"It would seem that the power of friendship has triumphed over evil once again, Matt. But if I'm going down, I'm not going alone this time!" All four of Matt's arms were caught in Omega's vicious grasp, and no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free! Inuyasha:"Oh no! I've got to close the Black Moon Gates or Matt will be pulled into Hell along with that creep!" Sesshomaru:"The gateway can't be closed while something is still inside of it, Inuyasha! Unless your friend can find someway out of that predicament himself, there's nothing that can be done for him!"

D.C.:"Like I'd actually let you pull my best friend into Hell, Omega? Suck on this, lowlife!" D.C. slammed the ground and the radial blast of Crystalline Slam surged forward. It struck Omega's hand and deactivated the Adamant safeguard around his body. Matt's arms were still trapped, but his mind was still in full functionality; after using the Spikes of Penance to get Omega to slightly loosen his grip, Matt sent out a Dragon Chain. Matt used his Dragon Chain to grab Justice off his back, then proceeded to use the legendary axe to slice off Omega's right hand!

Omega roared as a fountain of green blood spewed from his wrist; Matt landed on the ground with a thud and escaped from the now lifeless hand. Matt picked up the hand and threw it through the portal. All that remained of Omega now was his head, which proceeded to fire a deadly demonic blast towards the bystanders! Inuyasha had nothing of it, though, and unleashed his Adamant Backlash Wave. Matt combined his Dragonic Onslaught with the already potent blast; much to his delight, the two blasts fused together, just as the Windscar and Dragonscar had!

Even this didn't destroy Omega, as his Adamant restored itself at just that moment. However, the tremendous force of his own blast, in addition to Matt and Inuyasha's power, _and_ the pull of the Black Moon Gates, proved to be Omega Bowser's demise! The blast smashed into Omega with full force and pushed him the rest of the way into the Black Moon Gates. The last that was heard of him was a "Nooooooo!" that trailed off as the Gates closed after him. The gateway into Hell was closed and everyone stood with amazement and disbelief that the battle was actually over. As he panted with fatigue, Matt said, "Hopefully, you'll find some semblance of peace, Omega." He started to walk back to his friends, but then turned to where the Gate used to be and added, "And **stay dead** this time!"


	15. Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

Garret:"Hey, D.C., I was just thinking..." D.C.:"What?" Garret:"Matt fights pretty well for someone who was legally declared dead last month!" D.C.:"Yeah, you got that right. What caused all this 'Omega' nonsense anyway?" Matt explained to his friends that after his family's home was destroyed, he came to this dimension to sort things out. Eventually, several of their old enemies came back for revenge, all of which were soundly defeated. But, Matt wanted to give Giga Bowser a chance to live, which came back to bite him in the ass; Giga Bowser had used the Sacred Jewel to transform into Omega Bowser and continued in his quest for retribution. He'd captured several of his new friends, causing the ensuing battle to take place. Eventually, D.C. and Garret joined the fray, and the rest was self-explanatory.

D.C. started to laugh uncontrollably. Garret:"What the hell's so funny? He was trying to be honorable." D.C.:"What's funny is that he's become a living stereotype! He's big and that was just plain stupid! You of all people should've known that letting Giga Bowser live would come back to haunt you! What a freakin' idiot!" Matt:"Kiss my dragonic ass, you walking chandelier. In any case, what kept you guys? I sent my Super Truck to fetch you guys nearly two hours ago, the fight taking almost half of that!" Garret:"Well, we had to find the place. We used the auto-tracking to get to this dimension, but there wasn't exactly a trail to follow; that, and D.C. was navigating."

Matt:"Ok, that explains it. Heh. Well, the war's over. Things can go back to normal, or at least as normal as things get around here." With that, the three of them returned to their human states. Inuyasha:"Ok, who the hell are these two? How did you not get hurt by that ice attack? And how do you keep using my techniques; that one's been bugging me for a while now!" Matt:"Calm down, Inuyasha. One question at a time. These are the friends that I told you about a long time ago. D.C. and Garret. They are the only two remaining in the group besides me. As to how I dodged the attack, my Dragon's Armor blocks everything that my Dragon's Soul did, so still does rather. It still glows underneath of my armor, which is why it's golden. But, even if it didn't, our group made a wish on something known as the Triforce; the wish made it so that we can't hurt each other with our attacks. The attack simply passed through me without even touching my skin at all, slamming straight into Omega."

Sesshomaru:"What about the Windscar? How do you use that?" Matt:"Inuyasha, you remember how I told you that I was 2/7 demon, and that I told Sota I'd tell him some other time what they were?" Inuyasha:"Well, yeah." Matt:"Well, one of them is a creature called 'Spawn'. He's a creature from the very pits of Hell itself. The other demon whose DNA I share, Inuyasha, is _you_." Miroku:"Well, that certainly explains a lot." Matt:"But enough about that...did you guys find the Sacred Jewel lying around here?" Kagome:"No, but I can sense it! It's definitely nearby."

D.C.:"You mean this?" D.C. pulled the Tainted Sacred Jewel from his pocket using his telekinesis. D.C.:"I found it on the ground after we sent Omega into that portal. I thought it looked valuable, so I thought I'd take it back and try to sell it." If it would've hurt him, Matt would've dummy-smacked D.C. in the back of the head, but simply told D.C. to give the Jewel to Kagome. The instant that it touched her skin, the Jewel changed from a pitch black to a shining pink color. Inuyasha:"Well, the Jewel's been purified of the evil that was inside of it, but now we need to purify it completely." Sango:"Yes, and in order to do that, we need to make a wish that will be for the betterment of man, rather than its destruction."

Inuyasha:"Well, then I'll just use the Jewel's power to become human." Kagome:"No, Inuyasha. I want to stay with the _half-demon_ I married." Inuyasha:"Alright, Kagome. If that's what you want, then I won't use the Jewel." Koga:"Then, what can you guys use the Jewel for that will be beneficial or unselfish?" Matt:"Maybe you can use the Jewel to give Miroku and Sango the power to travel through the well, like you and Inuyasha can, Kagome." Sango:"Hey, that's a good idea. It's not too selfish, it benefits us, and it's not destructive to others. It's worth a shot." Kagome:"Alright, here goes..."

After shutting her eyes and concentrating a little bit, Kagome made her wish. True to the group's hopes, a white light shined around Miroku and Sango, the wish being deemed unselfish and beneficial by the Sacred Jewel. Following that, the Sacred Jewel glowed an extremely bright pink and levitated into the air. Shortly thereafter, the Jewel released a bright pink flash and disappeared from existence!

Miroku:"I guess that means that our wish was granted, and that the Jewel was completely purified." Sango:"It also means that we can visit each other whenever we want." Kagome:"What do you mean?" Sango:"Well, I kind of figured that you and Inuyasha would go to live in your time. Miroku and I will stay here." Inuyasha:"Well, yeah, I guess that was the plan. So, what are you going to do, Matt? The Sacred Jewel's been purified, Miroku's disease was cured long ago, and that Omega creature was vanquished." Matt:"That's a very tough question to answer. I've grown to like it here a little, and I've been declared deceased in my own world. But, I think that there's a lot of good that I can do still elsewhere. I'm probably going to go back to 'Dimension Hopping' for a little while yet. As for those two, _they_ are going back home."

D.C.:"WHAT? We came all the way here to save your ass, we didn't even get thanked for that yet, and now you're telling us that you're not coming back home? What the #%*, Matt?" Matt:"Ok, I'm sorry. Thanks for helping me out. It's nice to know that you worry about me a lot, D.C.; that means a lot to me as a friend, but it's not like I'm never going to come back. You two of all people should know how hard it is to kill me, right?" The two of them nodded. Matt:"Then, please, I know this sounds crazy coming from me, but leave me be for a while. When I'm ready to come back to Earth, I'll come back. If you need me in the meantime, you guys know where the Super Truck is hidden."

So, although reluctantly, Matt's friends respected his wishes and left Dimension 5 in the Super Truck. A few minutes later, the Truck returned to Matt in the Feudal Era. By then, Rin and Ayame had returned to the rest of the group, since the danger had passed. Ayame:"I see that you're leaving..." Rin:"Will we ever see you gain, Mister?" Matt:"I can't promise as to when, but yes...you'll see me again at some point in time. For now, just try to remember me as the person who saved you and reunited you with Sesshomaru, Rin. As for the rest of you, best of wishes. Take care of each other and the ones you love; that is how peace can return and remain in this world."

With that, Matt got into the Super Truck. After he pushed a few keys on the keypad, everyone heard the Truck announce, "Coordinates locked. Dimension 6. Auto-Location-Lock engaged." Matt:"Well, my friends, start your families together with happiness and without worries. If anything should happen that requires supernatural attention, just remember, the Eternal Guardian will return without a second's hesitation. Farewell." As the others gave Matt a final farewell, the Super Trucks engine roared to life, and after traveling for a short distance, disappeared in a flash of light. All that remained for Inuyasha, and the rest of Matt's new friends, was to start their lives over again, under the shroud of peace.

Mission Accomplished!


End file.
